International Initiative to Enhance the Organ Donation and Transplantation Systems in the Black Sea Area

Abstract

Background The Council of Europe (CoE) launched in 2011 a three-year collaboration project that aimed to battle organ shortage and improve the access to transplant health services in the Council of Europe BSA member states (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Moldova, Rumania, Russian Federation, Turkey and Ukraine) through the development of safe and ethical Donation and Transplantation (D&T) programmes. Objective To support the development of D&T programmes through close inter-state cooperation between national health organisations and relevant stakeholders. Methodology Focused in the level of development of D&T in each Black Sea Area (BSA) member state, the following working packages (WP) were established: a) WP1: Coordination of the Project (CoE), b)WP2: Development and implementation of an effective legislative and financial framework (Czech Republic and France), c)WP3: Establishment of National Transplant Authorities (Italy and Portugal), d)W4 Clinical Practices (Spain and DTI Foundation). Data collection, surveys and experts visits were performed to get first-hand information in each participant country at national, regional and hospital level by detecting problems and proposing solutions. Results Data analysis showed a positive impact of the project represented by a tendency to raise the D&T rates in all the countries. (Azerbaijan raised 7,3%, Armenia decreased 0.7%, Georgia Raised 3,3%, Bulgaria raised 0,9%, Moldova raised 2,5%, Ukraina raised 0,8% and Turkey raised 1,6%) Figure 1. In addition, the Project recommendations have been assimilated in the strategic plans of the participant countries. Conclusions The increase of the donation rates is a result of an implementation of legislative, organizational and institutional recommendations performed by the CoE, the efforts of the Ministry of Health (MOH) of each country and synergies with other European projects placed in the BSA area. BSA project made possible to analyse, assess and compare the different legal and organizational systems of the BSA countries. As a consequence of the outcomes, BSA countries should invest themselves in the implementation of the recommendations resulting from this project in order to achieve their organ donation and transplantation system self-sufficiency.