Argentina profile

Global Observatory on Donation and Transplantation
Region: The Americas
Country: Argentina
GENERAL INFORMATION OF THE COUNTRY
http://www.who.int/countries/arg/en/
Total population (million inhabitants)*: 40.1
* Population source (2010): Nacional Census 2010, Instituto Nacional de Estadísticas y
Censos. (INDEC)
Contact Data of the Organization
Telephone: +54-11-47810099
E-mail: presidencia@incucai.gov.ar
Website: www.incucai.gov.ar
Organization: INCUCAI (Instituto
Nacional Central Único Coordinador
de Ablación e Implante)
President: Dr. Carlos A. Soratti
Address: Ramsay 2250 – Buenos
Aires (Argentina) – ZIP Code 1428
Global Observatory on Donation and Transplantation
ORGANIZATIONAL SYSTEM
www.transplant-observatory.org
Instituto Nacional Central Único Coordinador de Ablación e Implante (INCUCAI) is the national
organization responsible for the coordination of donation, procurement and transplantation
activities. The organization depends on the Ministry of Health, and manages its own budget. It is
headed by a President of a Board of Directors.
Besides the national organization, there are twenty four provincial organizations that work in
coordination with INCUCAI. Its main responsibilities are: the promotion of organ donation, setting
the policies and bylaws, guidelines and recommendations for organ donation, procurement,
allocation and transplantation. In addition INCUCAI manages the waiting lists, and follow-up
registries. There are advisory and ethical committees related to donation and transplantation issues.
Argentina has developed a national information system (SINTRA) to collect, filter, proccess, create
and distribute data on donation and transplantation activities. This tool allows the whole
management of the donation and transplantation procedures. Standards related to donor detection,
donor maintenance, procurement, selection of recipients, compatibility testing, storage and
transportation of organ, tissues and cells, as well as allocation and screening for transmissible
diseases of deceased donor established by national consensus.
Donation and transplantation costs are funded by the health care system.
Argentina holds national and international training programs to harmonize practices for professional
staff working in organ donation and procurement activities.
Argentina has signed several technical cooperation agreements with many countries, mainly Latin
Americans and joins international forums in the transplantation field.
LEGISLATION
www.transplant-observatory.org
Argentina has a national law for organ procurement and transplantation. Public or private health care
institutions must be accredited for retrieval and transplantation, and health care professionals must
be certified.
Brain death must be certified by whole brain death criteria according to law.
Presumed consent is the current legal requirement for donation from deceased donors.
Law only allows organ donation from living related donors.
There are not supplementary incentives for donors. Organ trafficking is prohibited and punished by
law.
The argentine system guarantees transparency, traceability and quality of procedures.