People from Montenegro who have failed or insufficient kidney and liver function, and do not have a living related donor, cannot perform an organ transplant at the expense of the state. Patients who need lung, heart and pancreas transplants are in the same situation, because the only solution is a transplant from a brain-dead (cadaveric) organ donor, so they are left to their own devices and are looking for a way to get the money needed for treatment.
This is why dozens of patients sent an initiative to the newly formed National Coordinating Body for Organ Transplantation within the Ministry of Health in March, in order to establish a system of cadaveric organ donation as soon as possible. However, they have not yet received an answer.
In the meantime, the informal association of patients "Hrabro u novi život" launched a petition requesting the establishment of cooperation with the Minsk Scientific-Practical Center for Surgery, Transplantology and Hematology, in order to perform organ transplants from dead donors at the state's expense to patients who have to kidney failure, as well as other organs.
95 people in Montenegro are waiting for an organ transplant, of which six are children. In Montenegro, for four years no kidney transplantation has been performed, which was previously performed in the Clinical Center.
The Ministry of Health says that due to the bilateral relations between Montenegro and Belarus, it is not certain when the cooperation could be implemented, and they also remind that referral to another country for cadaveric transplantation is not a practice, due to doubts about the origin of the organs.
Patients are looking for a contract with the Minsk clinic
People with kidney failure can be transplanted at the expense of the state if they have living related donors, which include family members up to the fourth degree of kinship and emotional partners. Such organ transplants are performed in Turkey, and the Ministry of Health recently announced training for our doctors in Germany, so that this kindred transplant would be performed in Podgorica in the future. Non-relative living donor transplants are currently performed at the patient's expense.
Patients in the initiative of the Ministry of Health state that there are 45 people on the waiting list for a kidney transplant, mostly under the age of 50, whose quality of life would be significantly improved through a kidney transplant.
"However, for people who have failed or insufficient kidney and liver function and do not have a living related donor, as well as people who have insufficient lung, heart and pancreas function, the only solution is brain-dead (cadaveric) organ transplantation ) organ donor", writes in the letter of patients Milena Žižić and Jovan Glomazić.
In the letter, submitted to "Vijesti", they explain that the alternative in the case of patients with kidney failure is lifelong hemodialysis, which damages other organs and organ systems.
"Dialysis is actually survival through a machine. Without that device, many patients would not have been alive for a long time, and many end their lives on that device while waiting for a transplant. It takes place two to three times a week for four hours, which speaks volumes for how much time it takes, and which we could spend in a different way if we were transplanted", Žižićeva and Glomazić explain.
They claim that all patients who do not see themselves on lifelong dialysis are forced to look for organs outside the country's borders.
"Since we do not have cadaveric donors in Montenegro, that is, according to information from the Ministry of Health in the media, we have only 10 donor cards or potential organ donors, all of us who do not see ourselves on lifelong dialysis are forced to look for organs outside the borders of Montenegro. Waiting for a new campaign and donors in Montenegro does not make sense, bearing in mind that in the past fifteen years we have only had two cadaveric donors", the letter from Žižić and Glomazić states.
They point out that several tens of Montenegrin citizens have already been successfully transplanted in Belarus, which has a law according to which all citizens are potential organ donors, except for those who give a notarized statement that they do not want it, so if they need a transplant, they bear the costs of treatment.
"We received the information from Minsk. The excess of these organs is transplanted to foreign nationals after a medically established procedure for a total price of around 64.000 euros (without accompanying costs). Therefore, the stated amount is not given for the purchase of organs, as the authorities want to present it, but it is the price of examination and surgery, that is, a form of health tourism in Belarus. One of the reasons why cooperation with Belarus is not wanted is probably the bad international relations, that is, the sanctions that we have imposed on them. Republika Srpska has concluded a memorandum of cooperation with Belarus, so the costs of transplants are borne by their Health Fund", the patients explained to "Vijesta".
Cooperation with Belarus uncertain
The Ministry of Health told "Vijesta" that they are aware of the initiative of a group of patients who are asking the department and the National Coordinating Body for Organ Transplantation for the purpose of treatment to establish cooperation with a center dealing with this field in Belarus (Minsk).
"Until now, Montenegro has not had cooperation with Belarus in the field of medicine, and due to the current bilateral relations between the two countries, it is not certain when cooperation will be established, which further limits the ability of the health system to meet the demands of the petition in question. We inform you and especially point out the fact that referring patients to another country for cadaveric transplantation is not a practice due to doubts about the origin of organs, given the fact that all countries with precise legal regulations respect the system of saving organs for their citizens or adhere to the principle of exchange, but exclusively with countries with which they have official bilateral agreements", the answer states.
The Ministry of Health also reminded that Montenegro is a signatory to the Council of Europe's Convention on Combating Organ Trafficking and the Istanbul Convention on Preventing the Buying and Selling of Organs and Transplant Tourism, which is why the Council of Europe has created a platform for monitoring trips to another country for organ transplantation.
"Montenegro is part of this platform. The establishment of a stable system of cadaveric transplantation should be the backbone of the gradual resolution of this problem in Montenegro. Our goal, as well as the goal of society as a whole, should go in the direction of raising awareness of the importance of organ donation for the purpose of treatment in order to succeed in developing our own transplant program from a cadaveric donor. "Montenegro has concluded an organ exchange agreement with Eurotransplant, and in order for it to be fully implemented, the development of cadaveric donation must have a stable development," they said.
They collect money and raise loans for the new organ
Patients emphasize that they are forced to collect money from humane individuals and companies, as well as take out loans, in order to perform the transplant, which, they say, is somewhat humiliating.
They point out that all citizens are witnesses of numerous humanitarian actions to collect money for transplants in Belarus, but also that the costs of hemodialysis per patient are higher than the costs of organ transplants, which provide a better quality of life.
"Allegedly, due to the fact that we do not have an established cadaveric donation system, Eurotransplant no longer wants to cooperate with Montenegro. Such cooperation provided organ transplantation to some citizens of Montenegro several years ago. We would like to be able to transplant in EU countries, but for the reason mentioned, it seems impossible", claim Žižić and Glomazić.
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