The waiting list for a corneal transplant in Brazil has practically doubled over the last five years, from 12,212 in 2019 to 23,946 today. The Brazilian Council of Ophthalmology (CBO) warns that the volume of procedures has not returned to pre-covid-19 pandemic levels – the total number of interventions carried out in the Unified Health System (SUS) in 2022 is lower than what was performed in the beginning of the last decade. The data are contained in the CBO Observatory, a platform created by the public and free access entity, which groups information on consultations, exams, surgeries and transplants performed. According to the survey, the number of corneal transplants in the SUS retreated to the level of what was performed in 2013. In 2020, the height of the pandemic, the historical series recorded its worst performance in the decade: 4,374 surgeries. Regions The numbers show that, between 2012 and 2022, the public network performed about 86,000 corneal transplants in Brazil. Surgeries are concentrated in the Southeast, which accounts for 46% of all procedures. Following, appear Northeast, with 25%; South (13%); Midwest (9%); and North (5%). States The state of São Paulo accounts for nine transplant units and accounts for a third of surgeries of this type in the analyzed period: 29.9 thousand interventions between 2012 and 2022. In subsequent positions appear Pernambuco (5,770), Minas Gerais (5,696), Paraná (4,946) and Ceará (4,727). At the other end of the ranking are Tocantins (145), Acre (237), Rondônia (569), Alagoas (625) and Paraíba (1,115). Across the country, 24 states have at least one ocular tissue bank in the public network, except for Acre, Amapá and Roraima. Profile Still according to the survey, the volume of transplants in Brazil is practically divided in half between men (50.7%) and women (49.3%). However, in geographic regions, this proportionality changes. Men are the majority among beneficiaries in the North (59%), Midwest (56%), South (53%) and Northeast (51%). Only in the Southeast, the female population has a slightly higher percentage, with 51% of cases. Another highlighted point is the significant volume of interventions in the age groups from 40 to 69 years old (39.2%) and from 20 to 39 years old (27%) which, for the CBO, demonstrates the social value of this type of procedures. Other groups are also favored, such as the elderly over 70 years old (25% of cases) and children and adolescents (8.4%). Wait Numbers from the National Transplant System (SNT) reveal that, currently, there are 24,319 patients waiting for some procedure on the corneas. In 2020, this total was already 16,337 and, in 2021, 20,134. The data refer to care provided in the SUS and in the private and supplementary networks. The waiting time for a corneal transplant, according to the CBO, is 13.2 months on average. The index, however, varies according to the state: in Pará, 26.2 months; in Maranhão, 22.6; in Rio de Janeiro, 21.4; in Rio Grande do Norte, 18.4; and in Alagoas, 17.7. On the other hand, the delay registered is smaller in Ceará (1.2 months), in Amazonas (2.2), in Santa Catarina (4.9), in Mato Grosso (6.1) and in Paraná (6.5 ). For the CBO, the volume of transplants and the speed in meeting demands is directly linked to the existence of an active network for capturing corneas in each location. Agência Brasil asked the Ministry of Health for a position on the subject and is waiting for a response.
Agência Brasil
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