In Brazil, 40,000 people (between adults and children) are on the waiting lists for organ transplants. Patients are placed on a national database, which is sorted by the urgency in which the patient needs the procedure. When a new organ is available, the priority is for patients in the same region as the donor. If the authorities can’t find a local recipient, the search is broadened to the whole country.
There were 24,958 transplants in 2016 and 26,200 the following year, an all-time record, according to the Brazilian Association for Organ Transplants. But the waiting line could be smaller. According to the association, relatives of potential donors refuse to donate the deceased’s organs in 43...