New Transplant Law

The Transplant Act ready for public debate

Mihai Pelin, 21.11.2018, 13:46

Thousands of Romanians are waiting on transplant lists for a second chance to life, but the number of donors keeps dwindling from one year to the next. Only 55 organ donors were reported brain dead in 2018, out of a total 160 potential donors, according to data from the National Transplant Agency. Unfortunately, many of their families opposed organ donation, while the others had other health problems that prevented the operation. Figures show that a total of 102 kidney transplants, 46 liver, 3 lung and 5 heart transplants have been performed.

Authorities are trying to solve this problem, with a new transplant law finalised and scheduled for public debate next month. The Health Minister, Sorina Pintea, presented the main aspects of the new legislation:

Sorina Pintea: “First of all, this law will ensure the transparency that is so necessary in this system. Secondly, it introduces new elements regarding the consent of those who wish to donate organs. I believe they will make the process more transparent, while at the same time speeding up organ donation and procurement, without which there would not be any transplants.

As many as 41 healthcare institutions are accredited for organ procurement as part of Romanias National Transplant Programme, but only 11 of them have actually conducted such interventions. Health Minister Sorina Pintea says the programme is used inefficiently:

Sorina Pintea: “All parties involved in transplant activities must work as a team, and this includes county coordinators, regional coordinators, the National Transplant Agency. There cannot be transplants without organ donation, and when an institution seeks to join international organisations, this is the first topic brought into discussion. Romania has a National Transplant System, and in my opinion it is quite a generous one. Unfortunately, it is used in an inefficient manner. I cannot understand why there are 48 patients declared brain dead in one county in a month, and not a single organ procured. This means lack of interest. This is not the responsibility of the health minister. Or maybe it is. Maybe the county in question will no longer be included in the National Transplant Programme.

Romania is last in Europe in terms of the number of organ donors, and is one of the few countries in the EU that still lack legislation to regulate this matter.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)