In the last year, no organ transplants have been performed in Bosnia and Herzegovina, but at the same time number of citizens who joined the Donor Network of Bosnia and Herzegovina grew substantially and many of them became the owners of the donor cards.
Organ donation after death is a humane act, and an increasing number of people in Bosnia and Herzegovina decided to be organ donors, at least judging by the number of those who have decided to sign a donor card.
So far, about 60,000 of citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina have become the owners of the donor card, but even though everyone in Bosnia and Herzegovina can have this card, there is no umbrella law on transplants in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Thus, according to the amendments to the Law on Organ and Tissue Transplantation for the purpose of treatment, transplantation can be performed after death in FBiH, and everyone can be a potential organ donor after death unless he/she has objected to it in writing during his/her life. On the other hand, in RS it is legally possible to transplant organs only from a living donor.
Halima Resić, president of the Donor Network of BiH and president of the Association of Doctors for Nephrology, Dialysis and Kidney Transplantation (UNDT), said that during the COVID-19 pandemic, they intensified their activities through social networks.
She pointed out that citizens are now increasingly applying online, and that this is currently the only way this card can be obtained.
“On average, about 50 to 60 people ask for a donor card online every month,” Resić told to Nezavisne novine, adding that no transplants were performed during the pandemic in BiH.
She added that they send donor cards to citizens who asked for them, and they also send brochures about the importance of organ donation after death.
“In the last six months, around 1,000 citizens of BiH have signed donor cards,” Resić said.
She stated that the better promotion of these cards through social networks led to a greater interest of citizens during the pandemic.
The great success that the Donor Network has achieved in the last year, as Resić points out, is the establishment of cooperation with the Spanish Transplant Committee, which is the most important European institution when it comes to the promotion of organ donation.
“We planned to promote donor cards in Banja Luka this year as well, but the pandemic changed our plans, although I must point out that citizens from all over BiH are interested in getting the cards,” said Resić.
She added that they have great support from the media, which regularly monitor the work of the Donor Network.
“If the ministries and responsible institutions would follow us as the media follow us – it would be good. Sometimes we take over the duties of institutions, and it is our job to educate the population about the importance of organ donation, and that our people do not have to go abroad for transplants,” Resić concluded.
The University Clinical Center of RS (UCC RS) confirmed for “Nezavisne novine” that no organ transplants were performed during the pandemic period due to the specificity of the COVID-19.
As they point out, the last kidney transplant was performed at the beginning of last year, just before the outbreak of the pandemic in RS.
“So far, 33 kidney transplants have been performed at the UCC RS,” they stated.
