More than 1,800 Patients in Serbia Waiting for Organ Transplantation

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Serbia’s Law on transplantation of human organs was still ineffective, with amendments pending for four years now, while more than 1,800 patients were waiting for organ transplantation, association Donorstvo Je Herojstvo (Organ Donation Is a Heroic Act) said in a statement on Oct. 7.  

The Law, according to them, currently envisages that potential donors can only be immediate family members, due to which many patients are in an extremely difficult situation. "In practice, this means that a friend, relative or a person who wants to help cannot be a donor - even when all medical conditions are met and with full consent from both parties,” the association said. 

Although 55 percent of families in Serbia have given consent to their organ donation this year, only 30 donors have entered the relevant procedure, “compared to more than 100 in Croatia, which has a significantly smaller population,” the association said on the occasion of European Donation Day, marked on Oct. 12.

“This year, more transplantations have been performed than in previous years - a total of 51 cadaveric organ transplantations and 33 corneal transplantations, which is above the five-year average of about 17 transplantations per year. Yet, it is still not enough and ranks Serbia among the countries with the lowest number of transplantations in Europe and the world,” it is said in the statement.