The Foundation For The Defense Of Citizens Against State Abuses (FACIAS) reveals the deep crisis in the Romanian transplant system, highlighting the worryingly low number of transplants performed compared to the real needs of patients. It calls on the Ministry of Health to urgently implement a plan of action in this regard.
In 2023, Romania performed only 318 transplants, which is insufficient in relation to patient demand and treatment needs. This statistic puts Romania far behind other European countries, even those with considerably smaller populations. For example, Hungary, with a population roughly half that of Romania, performed 369 transplants in the same period. The situation is all the more alarming when compared to the number of patients waiting for transplants. According to official data, there are about 4,540 patients on waiting lists whose only chance of survival is a transplant. Romania's transplant rate for 2023 is 16.7 transplants per million population (pmp).
Countries such as Spain, France, Italy or Sweden have a transplant rate between 70 and 122 per million population, which is almost 10 times higher than Romania's, in some cases. FACIAS believes that this discrepancy between the very high number of patients in need of a life-saving transplant and the response capacity of the Romanian medical system highlights a major structural problem that requires urgent and coordinated intervention by the authorities.
FACIAS calls for urgent action plan
The Foundation asked the Ministry of Health a series of questions to clarify the current situation and to identify measures that could improve the performance of the transplant system in Romania:
- What concrete measures does the Ministry of Health intend to implement to solve the transplant crisis in Romania?
- What strategies have been developed to reduce transplant waiting times and optimise the procurement and transplantation process?
- Are there any plans to organise public awareness and education campaigns to encourage organ donation?
- What progress has been made in developing the infrastructure for organ donation and transplantation in the last five years?
- How does the Ministry of Health collaborate with NGOs or European institutions to exchange best practices and promote organ donation? Concrete examples of such collaborations are requested.
The responses to these inquiries are crucial for comprehending the Ministry's capacity and direction for action in enhancing this pivotal segment of healthcare. FACIAS underscores the significance of a proactive approach by the authorities to halt this crisis that affects the lives of thousands of Romanians annually.
