By Kaitlyn Schaeffer

Legend has it that Avicenna, the Iranian physician and philosopher, was the first person to suture nerves together.

Today, Iran ranks first in kidney transplantation in the Middle East, and ranks fourth in organ transplantation in the world.

Every year Iran carries out 2500 kidney transplants, 500 liver transplants, 80 heart transplants, 15-20 lung transplants, and 20 pancreatic transplants. Ever since developing the technology necessary for harvesting organs and performing transplants in the 1930’s, Iran has continued to perform more and better life-saving operations. These progressive trends were helped by the advancements in medical sciences during the past two decades that have made transplantation procedures safer and more effective.

Of course, despite all this progress, there are still many waiting for organs on donor lists.

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2014/04/09/357843/iran-sees-rise-in-organ-donation/