DICG heads to kidney transplantation talks in Croatia
Representatives from the Declaration of Istanbul Custodian Group (DICG) took part in meetings with representatives from the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia as well as Serbia organized by at the Croatian Ministry of Health in Zagreb, Croatia from October 14 to 15, 2014.
A Federal Center for Transplantation within the Ministry of Health in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina was inaugurated on September 23, 2014. “The next step is to implement a fully operational and staffed program with a central system to coordinate organ transplantation throughout the Federation,” says Francis Delmonico, Executive Director of the Declaration of Istanbul Custodian Group (DICG).
Dr. Lada Saralic, RHDC National Focal Point Federal Ministry of Health, has been appointed as the Director of the Federal Center. A waiting list of patients for organ transplants within the Federation has been developed to include 230 patients awaiting a kidney transplant, with nine patients awaiting a liver transplant and five patients awaiting a heart transplant.
A key donation person/transplant coordinator has been appointed in 13 hospitals of the Federation to provide education in collaboration with Croatia for piloting kidney allocation. These coordinators will organize regular meetings with hospital directors, reviewing the data from each hospital and reporting possible, potential, eligible, actual and utilized brain dead donors (consistent with the World Health Organization Critical Pathway). They will also coordinate and strengthen cooperation between transplant centers (Tuzla and Sarajevo) to standardize and harmonize best practices. In 2012 and 2013 across this region, there were 13 living kidney donors. The number of deceased kidney donors grew to four in 2012.
In 2008, ISN and the Transplantation Society (TTS) worked on preparing content for the Istanbul Declaration on Organ Trafficking and Transplant Tourism. Their efforts culminated in the Declaration being finalized at the International Summit in Istanbul, Turkey. This framework governs organ donation and transplantation activities. It is not binding but ensures donor and recipient safety, enforces standards and prohibits unethical practices worldwide. ISN has also set up the DICG to guide activities and help governments as well as the medical and patient community fight this problem.
The group also recently met with Pope Francis to derive support for the principles of the Declaration of Istanbul (DOI). More information about this initiative can be found HERE.
