Croatia's major hospital center, KBC Zagreb, performed 96 organ transplantations in 2022, including nine in December alone, the hospital's leading experts said on Tuesday, adding that these rates put Croatia "near the top in the world" in organ transplantation.

Speaking at a press conference, the head of KBC Zagreb, Dr. Ante Corusic, said that three lungs, three hearts, two livers, and one kidney were transplanted at the hospital in the 2-11 December period. “Children patients aged 10 and 11 received two of these organs, a heart and a liver,” he added. KBC Zagreb is the only hospital in Croatia which performs organ transplantation in children.

The hospital expects to reach 100 successful transplants by the end of 2022, although the waiting list for organ transplants now includes 100 people. This year in total, 38 kidneys, 24 hearts and 30 livers have been transplanted at the hospital.

In terms of heart transplants per million people, Croatia’s rate is four times higher than the United Kingdom’s and more than double that of Germany.

“This year we transplanted hearts to two twin brothers and both are now doing very well. That was also a rare case the world, to save two brothers’ lives with heart transplants within a single year,” said Jasna Brezak, the coordinator of the hospital’s transplantation team.