Portal de Murcia
www.portaldemurcia.com
Laudatio has been pronounced by Dr. Izpisua, Extraordinary Professor of Development Biology at UCAM and Director of the Gene Expression Laboratory of the Salk Institute, who has referred to Matesanz saying that with his work he has saved the lives of thousands and thousands of people
Solidarity and altruism.
These two principles are based on the transplant system of the National Transplant Organization (ONT), an institution that has been awarded several prizes throughout its history, and to which countries from all over the world come for advice or collaboration with only one objective: to improve the organization of donation and organ transplants.
These are some of the ideas that Rafael Matesanz, founder of the ONT in the investiture ceremony as Doctor Honoris Causa by the Catholic University of Murcia, held this morning in the Temple of the Monastery of Los Jerónimos;
act attended by numerous personalities from the field of health, of national and international prestige, such as the transplant team of the Hospital Virgen de La Arrixaca.
The event was chaired by José Luis Mendoza, president of the UCAM, accompanied by Josefina García Lozano, rector of the University;
Antonio Montoro, honorary rector, and Manuel Ureña, archbishop emeritus of Zaragoza, who presided over the Eucharist with the imposition of the Ash that was celebrated before the academic act.
It should be noted that this has been an unprecedented ceremony, attended by many people who filled the Temple.
Spokesperson for all the sick people who have changed their lives
Juan Carlos Izpisua, Extraordinary Professor of Development Biology at the UCAM and director of the Gene Expression Laboratory of the Salk Institute, has been in charge of doing the laudation.
In it, he referred to Matesanz saying that with his work he has saved the lives of thousands and thousands of people, "few of us here can say that we have saved only one".
He recalled the meeting he had in 2002 with Matesanz and the one that at that time was Minister of Health, Ana Pastor, whom he has defined as the minister who has done the most for the research.
Also, during his speech, Izpisua has criticized public officials for their lack of investment in science, and on the contrary, thanked José Luis Mendoza for the support given from the UCAM "with his eyes closed" to the investigation.
"Thank you for taking in your hands the work that others should do."
Also, Izpisua, thanked Matesanz for his dedication all these years at the head of the ONT.
"Today I am the spokesperson for all the sick and families to whom you have changed your life, thank you for your noble work."
Public and universal system
"Any Spanish citizen, of any community, who has needed to continue living on a heart transplant, liver transplant, kidney transplant or any organ transplant, has been the citizen of the world with the greatest possibilities to obtain it, and also within a public system, universal and without positive or negative discrimination for reasons of economic, social, geographical or any other kind of position ".
In this way Rafael Matesanz summed up what the National Transplant Organization is, of which he has highlighted the national and international prestige he enjoys, and has set as an example of his success that Spain is the only country in which there are more patients with Chronic renal failure with a transplanted kidney that on dialysis, and in some age groups, such as those under 50 years, more than three quarters of patients are transplanted.
He has also indicated that comparing the Spanish results with those of the USA, the difference in favor of our country at ten years is more than 20 survival points for both the patient and the transplanted organ.
"We are also the second country in the world in umbilical cords stored in public banks, only behind the USA with a population 7 times higher."
Keys to your success
The new Doctor Honoris Causa by the UCAM has pointed out as the basis of the success of the Organization, the National Health System, "from which the whole system of donation and transplants emanates and in which our mission has been to extract the best";
and the deep connection with society "that in the end is the one that makes transplants possible with their donations on the one hand and the maintenance of the system with their taxes on the other".
"No single community would achieve by far the results, both quantitative and qualitative, that get going with the other 16 in the same direction, we all win when we go together and transplants contribute day to day to prove it saving thousands of lives."
Murcia, at the head
Matesanz recalled that Murcia has been a benchmark in many aspects of donation and transplantation, such as the fact of having broken in the liver transplant the Madrid-Barcelona oligopoly that existed in the eighties, or be at the moment in the first placed by figures of donors, noting that for each donor in Germany, in Spain there are 5, and in Murcia 7. "The Virgen de La Arrixaca Hospital was the center with the most donors in Spain in 2017".
The university, cradle of wisdom
José Luis Mendoza, president of the UCAM, has highlighted the solemn award of distinctions to the new vice-deans, professors and other positions of the University, and thanked "the great humanitarian work" developed by Matesanz at the head of the National Transplant Organization " saving lives and putting Spain at the forefront in the donation. "
In the same way, and in reference to the outstanding positioning of the Region, Mendoza has highlighted the work of Dr. Parrilla and his entire team.
He has also had words of thanks for Juan Carlos Izpisua and has shown the commitment of the UCAM to continue supporting the research led by the professor from La Mancha.
Mendoza has defined the university as the cradle of wisdom, and has praised the work of professionals in the field of health, who has addressed asking them to put themselves at the service of the sick, helping them to carry the cross of each day .
With regard to the beginning of Lent, the president of the Catholic University of Murcia has ensured that it is a time "to make present the love of Christ, doing the greatest good possible."
On the other hand, Josefina García Lozano, rector of the Catholic University, pointed out that "the great scientists lead great teams and this has happened in the career of Rafael Matesanz".
Homily
Manuel Ureña, archbishop emeritus of Zaragoza, recalled the importance of today Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent - for Christians and "for this University, totally Catholic".
In addition, during the Homily he pointed out that man currently lives in haste, in anxiety, without stopping "we need to stop and ask questions about our origin," and he has assured that Christ is our companion on the road.
Source: UCAM
Privacy policy
- Legal notice
- Cookies