Citizen participation in formulating national organ donation and transplantation policy

As of September 10, 2018, according to the Executive Agency for transplantation data, 1122 people in Bulgaria need organ transplantation and their diseases are fatal if they do not wait for transplantation. Transplantation makes a terminally ill and disabled patient a functioning person able to work, exercise, have a family. Organ transplantation in Bulgaria has one major problem - organ donation. Every year the number of people in need of organ transplantation increases due to the aging population, environmental pollution, unhealthy lifestyles, and the number of donors is decreasing. The reasons for this are: distrust, misunderstanding and lack of information in the relatives of the people who have died in brain death to give their consent to become donors in the case of carnal donation; frequent incompatibility between relatives and patients and lack of cross-donation in Bulgaria with live donation. In Bulgaria, transplants are regulated by the Transplantation of Organs, Tissues and Cells Act in force since 01.01.2004. By virtue of the law, a he Executive Agency for transplantation has been established, which develops and maintains a national transplantation system and registers of waiting for transplantation, and has to provide an optimal distribution of available organs. The Ministry of Health is conducting a National Donorship Campaign, but Bulgaria is still far from the levels of donation in countries such as Croatia and Spain. In this respect, targeted action to increase organ donation and make it a priority for Bulgaria is needed. This can be achieved by: improving donor and organ transplant policies by exploring good practices, civil monitoring of the regulatory system, making proposals for change; increasing civic participation in the formulation, implementation and monitoring of donor policies; promoting popularity among the general public.

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