What this page helps you do
Use this guide to compare a case-specific Istanbul review with care available in Albania, prepare recipient and potential living-donor records, and protect continuity with the patient’s Albanian hepatology team.
- Before hospital review
- Ask the treating clinician to state the liver diagnosis, current severity and complications, prior treatment, urgent risks and the precise question for the second center.
- Documents
- Send laboratory trends rather than isolated results, plus imaging reports and image files. Keep any potential-donor information in a separate, clearly labelled file.
- Travel
- Albanian citizens may have visa-free access for tourism, but Türkiye lists medical treatment as a distinct visa purpose. Confirm the correct entry route with the Turkish mission for the actual purpose and expected stay.
- Continuity of care
- Before treatment, agree who in Albania will monitor medicines, liver and kidney tests, infection risk and urgent symptoms, and how the Istanbul team will send the discharge and follow-up plan.
- The current activity, capacity and individual availability of liver transplant services in Albania could not be verified from a current official clinical program page.
- No fixed visa category, stay length or document legalization requirement is asserted; the Turkish mission and hospital must confirm the individual pathway.
Travel information checked 11 October 2026. Reconfirm requirements before booking.
Liver Transplant Evaluation in Turkey for Patients from Albania
Albanian patients may request a preliminary international hospital review when they want another specialist center to assess the available recipient and potential living-donor information. A referral is not acceptance and should precede travel commitments.
Liver Transplant Capability in Albania and Eligibility in Turkey
Albania’s Ministry of Health publishes a national legal and regulatory framework for organ transplantation. A current official clinical program page confirming active liver-transplant capacity was not identified during this review, so availability and suitability must be verified with the treating team and responsible Albanian authorities.
A country having a liver-transplant programme does not establish whether a particular patient should travel, whether Memorial Şişli can accept the case, or whether Turkish legal and ethical requirements can be met. Those questions require case-specific hospital review.
Memorial Şişli Liver Transplant Review
Memorial’s official sources identify liver transplantation at the Şişli Organ Transplantation Center. MedTransplant can organize a case for preliminary review, while Memorial’s specialists and relevant authorities retain all clinical, donor, ethical and legal decisions.
Preparing the Recipient File
The recipient file may include liver-disease cause and severity, complications, prior treatment, infection history, other medical conditions and the ability to follow long-term post-transplant care.
Potential Living-Donor Assessment
A potential donor requires a separate pathway that may include health history, blood group, laboratory testing, imaging, psychological review and assessment of liver anatomy and volume.
Living liver donation is major surgery for a healthy person. The potential donor must be evaluated independently, understand the risks, participate voluntarily and remain free to withdraw. A willing donor is not automatically a suitable donor.
Documents to Prepare in Albania
Clear, organized records let the hospital identify missing information without implying that every listed item will be required.
- Request an up-to-date hepatology summary with diagnosis, complications and current treatment
- Include serial laboratory results and CT or MRI reports with image files where available
- Include pathology and current cancer staging when relevant
- Prepare recipient and potential-donor identity or relationship evidence only when requested
- Name the clinician or service that can continue follow-up in Albania
Relationship, Consent and Donor Protection
The center may request identity and relationship evidence and may require further ethical review. Donation must be voluntary and free of commercial exchange, coercion or brokerage. MedTransplant does not find or arrange donors.
From Case Review to Hospital Response
Submit a concise recipient overview and only the potential-donor information lawfully available. MedTransplant structures the file, coordinates submission and communicates missing-record requests or the preliminary response.
Planning Travel from Albania to Istanbul
Wait for the hospital to review the file before booking. If evaluation can progress, planning may cover both recipient and donor schedules, requested tests, identification, accommodation, estimated stay and continuity of care after return.
Quotation and Financial Preparation
There is no verified standard price for every case. A hospital quotation may follow review and can vary with recipient and donor evaluation, diagnostics, hospitalization and the proposed treatment plan.
Continuity of Care After Returning to Albania
Before treatment, clarify which local clinician will monitor laboratory results, medicines, infection risk and urgent concerns after return. International care should complement—not disconnect—the patient from appropriate national follow-up.
Continue with the Memorial Şişli Liver Transplant Guide
Review the hospital-specific recipient, potential living-donor, ethical and preliminary evaluation pathway.
Explore liver transplant evaluation at Memorial ŞişliFrequently Asked Questions
Can records be reviewed before travelling from Albania?
Yes. Available recipient and potential-donor information can be organized for preliminary hospital review before travel is planned.
Does having a potential living donor guarantee a pathway?
No. The recipient and donor must both complete hospital-led assessment, and legal and ethical requirements must be satisfied.
Can MedTransplant find a liver donor?
No. MedTransplant does not find, source, recruit, sell, broker or arrange donors or organs.
Can international patients join Turkey’s deceased-donor waiting list?
This page does not claim such access. The hospital and relevant authorities must confirm the rules that apply to the individual case.
Which medical records are useful initially?
A current hepatology summary, laboratory trends, CT or MRI reports, prior treatment and relevant pathology or cancer-staging information can help the first review.
When should travel be booked?
Travel should generally wait until the hospital has reviewed the available file and described possible next steps.
How is a quotation obtained?
If the hospital can progress the review, it may prepare a case-specific quotation based on the evaluation and proposed plan.
Who determines transplant eligibility?
Only the responsible transplant center and relevant authorities determine recipient eligibility and donor suitability.
Sources and verification
- Memorial Şişli Hospital Organ Transplantation Center
- Memorial Liver Transplantation Center
- WHO: Transplantation and donor-protection principles
- NIDDK: The liver transplant process
- NHS Blood and Transplant: Liver transplant assessment tests
- Albanian Ministry of Health: Transplantation regulations and guidance
Medical and ethical responsibility
MedTransplant coordinates international case preparation and referral. It does not provide medical advice, determine eligibility, allocate organs, arrange donors or guarantee acceptance, timing or outcomes.
