The Irish Kidney Association has said that Ireland has made huge strides in the diagnosis and outcomes for patients with organ failure, through organ transplants and dialysis services.
A record 311 organ transplants were performed here last year, including 51 living kidney donor transplants.
The figures do not include HSE-funded transplants performed on Irish patients in Britain.
Mark Murphy, Chief Executive of the IKA, said that when the association was founded 40 years ago there were just three dialysis centres here.
There are now 23 centres around the country.
The number of people on kidney dialysis remained stable last year at more than 2,074.
As a result of organ donation, almost 3,500 people here are alive and enjoying extended life.
At the end of last year, there were 524 people on various transplant waiting pools for heart, liver, kidney, lung and pancreas transplants.
Today the association is launching Organ Donor Awareness Week, which runs from 31 March to 7 April.
We are officially launching Organ Donor Awareness Week later today in the Mansion house in Dublin. You can request your Organ Donor Card via the link below. Please remember to share your wishes with family. #OrganDonationWorks... https://t.co/cXz5zU9vUM
— Irish Kidney Assoc. (@IrishKidneyAs) March 27, 2018
