The Ministry of Health has launched the campaign "Signature for Life! Donor Card - The Card with the Highest Value!" with the aim of raising citizens' awareness of the importance of organ donation.
Citizens who decide to become donors can revoke that decision at any time, it was announced at a press conference by the Ministry of Health.
The relevant Minister Vojislav Šimun said that one of the most important campaigns begins today.
"This campaign is not just a public initiative, it is a call for humanity, solidarity and courage. A call to be better people because making the decision to become donors is a decision that someone's life can continue after ours," said Šimun.
He said that in Montenegro, 99 patients are waiting for organ transplants, including eight children.
"With the Signature for Life campaign, we want to increase public awareness about the importance of organ donation and invite citizens to inform themselves and talk to families and consider the possibility of becoming donors," said Šimun.
This, he added, is a decision that has the power to save more lives.
Šimun said that the donor card is not an ordinary card, that its symbolism is profound and that it represents the most noble decision a person can make - the gift of life.
He added that, in order to improve the transplantation program, the Ministry of Health signed a cooperation agreement between the Clinical Center of Montenegro (KCCG) and the Military Medical Academy (MMA) in Belgrade, which, as he said, opened a new phase of direct exchange of knowledge, expertise and experiences.
"This cooperation includes joint education teams, clinical support in the implementation of transplants, which resulted in the first successful kidney transplant in Montenegro after 2019," said Šimun.
He added that in the past period, stem cell transplantation was introduced into the Montenegrin healthcare system, which, as he pointed out, represents a historic step forward.
"With this act, we have opened the door to new therapeutic possibilities, especially for patients with hematological diseases for whom this form of treatment is the only one. These are not just medical steps, but steps towards a future where no one will be left waiting in uncertainty," said Šimun.
He said that the Ministry's goals are clear.
"Our goals are clear - strengthening transplantation capacities within the country, educating professional staff, improving the system for identifying potential donors, and developing infrastructure that enables the quick, efficient, and safe implementation of all phases of the transplantation process," added Šimun.
He called on all citizens to be part of this humane mission.
Director of the KCCG, Aleksandar Radović, said that in February the living donor transplantation program continued and the stem cell transplantation program began.
Radović said that not all patients have the opportunity to receive an organ from a living donor and said that it is necessary to develop a cadaveric transplantation program.
"By launching the campaign, we are creating assumptions that are crucial for the success of the transplantation program and thus the prerequisite for the treatment of patients for whom this is the only therapeutic option," said Radović.
He added that the KCCG, in cooperation with the Military Medical Academy, has established all protocols for the successful implementation of the transplant.
"I emphasize that organ transplantation is the only therapeutic option when there is a permanent loss of function of a certain organ. I expect that the campaign itself, which must not end, will contribute to a greater number of donors," said Radović.
He said that the end of one life can provide someone with a new beginning, and that new beginning, as he stated, can be life for as many as seven patients.
Director General of the Directorate for Public Health Ivana Živković said that the Ministry of Health is working with great responsibility on the development of the transplantation program.
"The donor card represents an expression of human emotion, empathy and willingness to help others even when we are no longer around. Our policy focuses on the development of a cadaveric organ transplantation program," Živković emphasized.
According to her, one of the key steps is the system of issuing donor cards to selected doctors.
"Anyone who wants to be a donor can do so by signing a consent form with a chosen doctor, this decision can be revoked at any time," explained Živković.
She said that the goal of the campaign is to empower and motivate citizens to consider the possibility of organ donation.
"Our goal is never to exert pressure, but to raise awareness. Montenegro is part of the Eurotransplant network and we can realize the full potential of this membership by developing our own cadaveric program, so every signature is a step towards that goal," said Živković.
Director of the Nephrology Clinic at the KCCG, Elvir Mučić, said that Montenegro is recording a continuous increase in the number of kidney patients.
"And that is a fact that we nephrologists face every day. In the last 14 years, the number of patients on chronic hemodialysis programs has increased by 35 percent, and we are registering a 25 percent increase in the number of patients with kidney transplants," said Mučić.
He explained that the cause of this is the increased number of diabetics, patients with high blood pressure, and the increase in life expectancy.
"According to this fact, an increasing number of patients are in need of treatment with kidney transplantation, which is the gold standard for the terminal phase of chronic kidney disease," said Mučić.
He added that it is therefore important to strengthen the cadaveric kidney transplant program.
"Cadaversary kidney transplantation in Montenegro is not an impossible mission, it was already performed in 2013 and 2018," Mučić added.
He said that the end of one life can mark the beginning of seven new ones, and that efforts must be made to raise awareness among citizens about the importance of donation and improving the quality of life.
Transplant patient Enes Ferizović said that before he got sick, he had a hundred wishes, and after learning about the disease, he only had one - to get well.
"Now that I'm well, I have a hundred wishes again. When a person gets well, a quality life and a new future begin. Life is one and it should be of good quality. I continued where I left off," said Ferizović.
He called on the entire public to join the campaign.
"The donor card is a card of the greatest possible human value," concluded Ferizović.
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