VietNamNet Bridge - Vietnamese scientists believe that Vietnam has sufficient conditions to carry out human head transplant operations through technology transfer. 


Deputy director of the Vietnam - Germany Friendship Hospital Dr Trinh Hong Son produced a stir when releasing the breaking news that Vietnam may consider conducting head transplantation operations if the first operation slated for 2017 succeeds.

Son said at a meeting with the press that he would keep a close watch over the operation, and if it succeeds, Vietnam would invite the team of specialists carrying out the operation to Vietnam to transfer technology.

“Vietnam would update information about the operation and learn from it,” said Son, a specialist with tens of years’ experience in organ transplantation.

Vietnam would have to make hectic preparations by preparing organ donors and recipients. 

Vietnam would have to make hectic preparations by preparing organ donors and recipients.

Dr Vo Xuan Son, a neurosurgery specialist, and former surgeon at Cho Ray Hospital in HCM City, said that Vietnam has necessary conditions to carry out head transplant operations if it can receive technology transfer.

“If the world can, Vietnam also can,” he said. 

However, he noted that Vietnamese scientists attach too much importance to the surgery technology, but they don’t think about the purposes of the operation.

“Let’s think about what we target when carrying out such operations. What do we strive for when doing this?” he said.

“How many people would advocate an operation of this kind?” he said in an interview with Dat Viet newspaper.

The specialist emphasized that it was still unclear if the first human head transplant operation can be conducted and if it would be successful. 

Meanwhile, the transplantation of other organs still shows modest efficiency. Some organ transplant surgery cases have succeeded in Vietnam but more cases must be performed to ensure a high success rate. 

Son believes it would be better to spend money on other things which can bring visible benefits, rather than spending money to carry out experiments on dogs, mice, rabbits and humans, as the success rate of head transplant operations remains unpredictable. 

“It’d be better to gather strength and money to satisfy people’s healthcare demands and not waste money on things that Vietnam is still not sure about,” he said. 

“Vietnam is a poor country, and many patients are poor. Therefore, the Vietnamese disease model is different from that of developed countries,” he explained.

Dat Viet