Aid through Action: Ukrainians will now be able to consent to organ transplants for life
Recently, the President of Ukraine signed amendments to a number of laws, which will allow consent to the removal of organs for transplantation in case of death, through the application "Action". Such information will be completely confidential to all, until the patient is diagnosed with "brain death". This is a real miracle and salvation for hundreds of children and adults whose lives will end without a transplant. Now their relatives give their consent for the dead. Transplantation has been possible in Ukraine since 1999. For a long time, organ transplant operations have been an exception rather than an established practice. One of the main reasons is the lack of practice of ascertaining brain death. Doctors need to record in time when the brain is already dead. Next, an examination is performed to see if there are any contraindications and whether the organs are suitable for transplantation. And only after that negotiations with relatives of victims concerning their consent to organ donation begin. In order to regulate the mechanism of organ transplantation, at the end of 2019 the Council adopted new law "On the use of transplantation of anatomical materials to humans." According to the new law, transplantation activities should be based exclusively on the Unified State Information System of Organ and Tissue Transplantation (EDIST). Accordingly, every adult, able-bodied citizen of Ukraine can become a donor, he must provide written permission or a ban on removing organs after his death during his lifetime. However, such an application can be revoked by submitting a new one. Last year alone, 313 organ transplants were performed in Ukraine. In particular, the child’s heart was transplanted for the first time. 15 kidney transplants were performed in Okhmatdyt.
The Minister of Health of Ukraine Viktor Lyashko announced the creation of a section in the "Actions" for the application for organ donation after death. According to the Minister, no one will be able to see information about such a statement while the person is alive. However, after death, the system will automatically generate a potential donor card in the appropriate registry. "When these works are completed, we will launch an information campaign to promote organ donation, " Lyashko added. Today, all transplants are performed at public expense. And it is many times cheaper than in other countries: in 2021 Ukraine spent UAH 545.7 million less on treatment programs abroad. These funds were directed to Ukrainian medicine. And our children can now receive world-class help at home. More news