Health Ministry: Serbia Making Progress in Organ Transplantation and Donation

Panorama of Belgrade (BETAPHOTO/MILOS MISKOV/MO)

With the support from the EU and in partnership with the Lithuanian National Blood Center and the National Transplant Burea, Serbia has successfully realized twinning project titled “Strengthening national institutional capacities in the field of Substance of Human Origin,” which includes transplantation and donation of organs, blood, tissues and cells, as well as of reproductive material.

“The primary goal of this project is to strengthen the capacity and competence of core institutions working in the field of substances of human origin with an emphasis on the improvement of supervisory and inspection mechanisms,” Mirsad Djerlek, a Health Ministry state secretary, has said.

“Having realized this program, Serbia will join the group of countries that have also accepted and implemented European Commission directives, which practically means data exchange, easier finding of donors or organs for patients in need of transplantation, and not only organs, but also other material and its adequate storage,” Djerlek stressed.

Plamena Halacheva, deputy head of the EU Delegation to Serbia, congratulated Serbia on successful implementation of the EU twinning project. She stressed that the EU had donated EUR1.5 million for the project, but that EU investments and donations for strengthening Serbia’s healthcare system in the EU accession process were much higher, reaching around EUR517 million.