From October 1, citizens of Macedonia will declare for organ donation at their family doctor

The by-laws enabling the implementation of the Law on organ donation have been made public for public consultation on the official website of the Ministry of Health and are expected to receive the green light at one of the upcoming executive meetings.

After this law comes into force on October 1, citizens will have the right to give their consent for organ donation directly to their family doctor.

This announcement was made during a panel discussion on organ donation, organized today in Veles, where the necessity of raising public awareness about the transplant process and the importance of increasing donors to save lives was emphasized.

Prof. Dr. Biljana Kuzmanovska, the national transplant coordinator, emphasized that at this moment there are 29 patients in the country waiting for a new heart, 12 for a liver, 160 for a kidney, and about 20 others awaiting cornea transplantation. She added that waiting lists are dynamic and that so far this year, cornea transplant interventions have already been performed on 16 patients.

Meanwhile, Dr. Lilija Çolakova Dervishova, the president of the Association of Private Doctors of Macedonia, stressed that the decision to register as a donor will be formalized with the family doctor, as he or she represents the closest healthcare figure for citizens.

She underlined that the act of organ donation represents a concrete opportunity to save many lives, especially for young patients who are on the waiting list and are currently keeping themselves alive thanks to hemodialysis or mechanical devices assisting heart function.