The NHS in Wales has secured its renal transplant service with the appointment of two consultant surgeons. The unit at Cardiff 's University Hospital of Wales has been short of surgeons for over a year, leading to an eight-day suspension of service earlier this year. There is a national shortage of renal transplant surgeons, with between 12 and 18 vacant posts in 30 units. Some units face closure following Royal College of Surgeons proposals that all renal transplant units should have four consultants. Trust medical director Ian Lane said: 'We have managed to buck the system with the appointment of two highly qualified surgeons. But it is a lottery at the moment.'