Sixteen foreigners underwent an organ transplant operation in Colombia in 2010 compared to 22 the year before, the National Health Institute announces.
According to government statistics, the 16 foreign patients represent a 85% reduction compared to 2005.
The Colombian government has been trying to reduce the number of foreigners seeking Colombian organs since 2004 when the country’s government issued a decree that allows hospitals only to perform organ transplants on non-residents when there are no Colombian patients in need of a transplant.
Of the total transplants that took place in 2010, non-resident foreigners represented 1.37%.