Greece marked the start of 2026 with its first organ transplant procedures, carried out in the northern city of Thessaloniki, where medical teams worked through New Year’s Eve to deliver what officials described as a powerful “gift of life.”

Surgeons at a major public hospital in the city performed organ transplants on three patients using organs donated by a 44-year-old man who had been hospitalized in intensive care after suffering a brain hemorrhage. Following his diagnosis of brain death, the donor’s family made the decision to allow organ donation.

The liver was successfully transplanted into a 50-year-old patient, while compatibility tests are ongoing to match the donor’s two kidneys with suitable recipients. The procedures began shortly after midnight, with medical teams welcoming the new year inside the operating theater.

The retrieval of the organs took place during the early morning hours at another hospital in Thessaloniki, where the donor had been receiving treatment. Doctors and transplant coordinators worked against the clock to ensure the organs could be safely recovered and transferred for transplantation.

Commenting on the milestone, the president of Greece’s National Transplant Organization, Giorgos Papatheodoridis, highlighted the significance of the operation, noting that 2025 closed as a record year with 35 organ donors nationwide. He praised hospital staff for their commitment and coordination during the complex procedures.

Hospital representatives also emphasized the scale of the effort, confirming that one liver and two kidneys were retrieved, with the liver transplant already underway and kidney matching still in progress at the time of reporting.