Urgent Action Required – Transplants Remain Below Pre-Covid Levels

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Irish Lung Fibrosis Association Calls for Urgent Action Following Study Showing Heart and Lung Transplant Rates Remain Below Pre-Covid Levels

Dublin, 20 August 2026 – The Irish Lung Fibrosis Association (ILFA) has expressed deep concern following the publication of a new study showing that heart and lung transplant rates in Ireland have failed to recover to pre-pandemic levels, despite the passage of more than six years since the onset of Covid-19.

For people living with lung fibrosis and other advanced lung diseases, transplantation is often the only life-extending treatment available. The continued shortfall in transplant activity raises serious concerns about the capacity of Ireland’s transplant system to meet current and future patient needs.

ILFA has repeatedly highlighted the fact that lung transplantation has been one of the slowest areas of organ transplantation to recover since the pandemic. While many countries have restored or exceeded pre-Covid transplant levels, Ireland continues to lag behind, leaving patients facing prolonged uncertainty and, in some cases, running out of time while awaiting a suitable donor organ.

“These findings are deeply worrying but unfortunately not surprising,” said Maureen O’Donnell, CEO of the Irish Lung Fibrosis Association. “Behind every statistic is a person and a family living with the reality of a life-limiting lung disease. For many people with lung fibrosis, a transplant is their only chance of survival. When transplant numbers remain persistently low, patients pay the price.”

ILFA acknowledged the dedication and commitment of transplant clinicians, coordinators and intensive care staff working across the health service but warned that the latest findings point to broader structural issues that require urgent attention.

“The clinical expertise exists in Ireland,” Ms O’Donnell said. “What is needed now is sustained investment, greater capacity, improved donor identification and retrieval systems, and a clear national commitment to restoring lung transplantation to the levels patients deserve.”

The association also paid tribute to organ donors and their families, whose generosity makes transplantation possible.

“Every organ donor represents an extraordinary act of compassion. We owe a profound debt of gratitude to donors and their loved ones. The best way to honour that gift is to ensure that our transplant system is equipped to make the fullest possible use of every opportunity to save lives.”

ILFA is calling on the Department of Health, the HSE and Organ Donation Transplant Ireland to:

• Publish the ODTI 2025 annual report and a clear recovery plan for lung transplantation.
• Invest in additional transplant and critical care capacity.
• Strengthen organ donation awareness and family discussion campaigns.
• Improve transparency around transplant waiting lists, activity levels and outcomes.
• Establish measurable targets for restoring transplant activity to at least pre-pandemic levels.

For the hundreds of people across Ireland living with lung fibrosis and other serious lung conditions, the consequences of inaction are stark. “Patients haven’t time to wait,” Ms O’Donnell added. “This study must serve as a wake-up call. Ireland has the expertise, the goodwill and the public support to improve transplant outcomes. What is needed now is urgency, leadership and action.”

Ends

Media Contact:
Irish Lung Fibrosis Association (ILFA)
www.ilfa.ie
Email: info@ilfa.ie

Notes to Editors:
The Irish Lung Fibrosis Association is the national patient organisation supporting people living with lung fibrosis across Ireland. The organisation provides advocacy, education, research, patient support and awareness initiatives aimed at improving outcomes and quality of life for the lung fibrosis community.