In North Macedonia, 240 patients are waiting for transplants, new organ donation system to launch in October

In North Macedonia, 168 patients are currently on the waiting list for kidney transplants, 37 are waiting for a heart, 12 for a liver, and 23 for corneas.

Health Minister Azir Aliu and the national transplant coordinator, Biljana Kuzmanovska, spoke about the new module in the “My Appointment” system, which will allow citizens to express their willingness to donate organs.

Following the legal changes, every adult citizen will be able, during a visit to their primary care doctor, to declare whether or not they wish to be a donor of organs and tissues for treatment after death. This decision will be signed by the individual, certified by the chosen doctor, and then registered in the national electronic system.

“Today, organ donation is a matter of trust, individual will, solidarity, and social maturity,” Minister Aliu said.

According to the Ministry, access to this data will be under strict control and will be granted only to authorized persons. Citizens will also have the right to change their decision at any time, while the last registered declaration will be considered valid.

The new system is expected to become operational on October 1, 2026. Until then, technical, institutional, and communication preparations will continue.

Kuzmanovska stressed that organ donation remains entirely voluntary and that the aim is to place the citizen’s will at the center of the system./Telegrafi/