Brasília, 11/18/2003 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - The Ministry of Health reports that it intends to eliminate the waiting line for cornea transplants within four years and reduce the waiting time for so-called solid organs, such as kidneys,hearts and lungs. According to the ministry's plans, by 2007 there will be no waiting for cornea transplants and the waiting list for other organs will be reduced from the present 56,000 to around 22,000.

At the moment, some 8,000 transplants take place in Brazil annually.

As part of the plan to reduce the wait for transplants, the minister of Health, Humberto Costa is inaugurating a campaign to increase organ donations by making the public aware of their importance. (AB)