Photo: Tanjug/Sava RadovanovićOn an annual level in Serbia, it is necessary to perform 350 organ transplants. Currently, that number for the first six months of this year is 28. The Association of Patients of Serbia says that people have various fears about bequeathing organs, and believers often think that this act is not Christian.
In Serbia, it is necessary to perform 350 organ transplants annually. The number realized is much smaller. One of the more significant problems is the lack of donors, which is affected by poor information about the procedures, as well as numerous prejudices.
"We had five transplants the year before last, and three last year. When the corona, negligence, laziness and various other reasons came together, people for some reason said, great, we don't have to do transplants anymore. Which is a shame.
With the arrival of Danica Grujičić as Minister of Health, things improved for the better. 28 organ transplants were recorded in the first six months of this year. However, even that is a small number. Patients have been waiting for years for heart, kidney, liver, cornea transplants..." says the President of the Association of Patients of Serbia, Savo Pilipović, for the "Vremena" portal.
As he says, to raise awareness about transplantation, it would be of great importance for the Serbian Orthodox Church to be involved in the campaign and promotion. As a successful example, he points out the Catholic Church in Croatia, which with its support helped the number of donors to increase significantly.
"It is necessary for this to happen in our country, that is, for the Serbian Orthodox Church to do the same. During the covid 19 pandemic, more than 200 transplants per year were recorded in Croatia. It is objectively true that, when it comes to transplantation, something has started to get better in healthcare. Inasmuch as Vojvodina started first, now VMA has started, Nis and Kragujevac are waiting, and they will also have their turn.
It is our wish that Serbian Patriarch Porfirije will receive Minister Danica Grujičić and us patients to the meeting with the wish that they support the national campaign on organ transplantation and that the faithful be explained that there is no return from the state of brain death, and that it is not murder", says Pilipović.
He explains that we live in a conservative society and that the problem often arises that the family of a deceased person does not want to give consent for the organs of their loved one to be used for transplantation and prolonging the life of other people.
"People have various fears about this issue and often think that it is not Christian. It should be understood that by donating organs after death, the organs of that person continue to live in someone else. "Perhaps we should also think about an agreement between the state and hospitals in Belarus to perform a certain number of interventions there, because a lot of our people collect money through foundations and go there for organ transplants," Pilipović points out.
Our interlocutor says that another problem when it comes to organ transplants in Serbia, as they unofficially learned from the Serbian Patient Association, is that Vojvodina doctors perform transplants only on the territory of Vojvodina.
"After Minister Grujicic's appeal, Vojvodina was the first to start with transplantation, and that is to be commended. However, things like this really shouldn't be done. It is known that there are lists, so people are called in order and according to established procedures", warns Pilipović.
SPC supports organ transplantation
Bishop Lavrentije, as the first dignitary of the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC), bequeathed his organs for cadaveric transplantation back in 2011.
On that occasion, he emphasized that bequeathing organs is a matter of free will, love and respect for human dignity and recommended everyone to bequeath organs.
The bishop then also stated the official position of the Serbian Orthodox Church, which, as he emphasized, supports the bequest of organs for cadaveric operations, and according to him, all other religious denominations view this issue in the same way.
Churches across Europe contributed to the promotion
Examples from certain European countries prove how important the church's messages are. When it joined the European Union, Spain, in relation to the number of inhabitants, had by far the fewest transplants on the Old Continent.
First of all, thanks to the support of the church, which joined the campaign "What will your organs do in the country, leave them on the ground", today it is at the very top in terms of the number of donors and transplants performed.
In Italy, the significant increase in organ donation was influenced by two events. Ten years ago, the Law on Transplantation was adopted.
Immediately after the Law, there was a public statement by the Pope, who described organ donation as a decision based on great ethical values, and above all, love for man. Decisions that promote an authentic culture of life deserve special thanks, such as organ donation performed in an extremely ethical manner, in order to ensure the health and often the life of people who are hopelessly ill, said Pope John Paul II.
In the next five years, organ donation in Italy recorded a growth of 36 percent. Pope Benedict 16 also has a donor card. The number of people bequeathing organs and the number of transplants continues to grow.
If you want to become a potential organ donor, or to get information about it, call the Military Medical Academy in Belgrade, telephone number 011 367 07 84, or Donor Information Center of Vojvodina - 021 520 141.
Z.S.
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