Measures to improve organ donation and transplantation in Bulgaria are being discussed

The Executive Director of the Executive Agency for Medical Supervision (EAMS), Dr. Atanas Atanasov, held a meeting with stakeholders dedicated to the issues of organ donation and transplantation in Bulgaria, the Agency reports.

The discussion included representatives of patient organizations, medical specialists, and experts, as well as the management of EAMS. Key highlights included the low number of actual donors, the lack of sufficient motivation for healthcare facilities and medical teams, and insufficient public trust in the system.

Participants noted that the problems are related to both the low percentage of consent for posthumous donation and the lack of adequate incentives for hospitals and donation coordinators. Difficulties related to the regulatory framework and the criteria for training medical teams abroad were also pointed out.

During the meeting, specific measures to improve the system were proposed. These include the creation of a central coordination team for donation and transplantation, the introduction of automatic notification for potential donor situations, and the development of clear procedures for informed consent.

Changes to the regulatory framework were also discussed, including updating the rules for establishing brain death, introducing digital registries and real-time data exchange, and creating more significant incentives for healthcare facilities.

The need to increase public awareness through national campaigns, the inclusion of real stories from donors and recipients, and ensuring greater transparency of donation and transplantation data was identified as a key element.

At the end of the meeting, Dr. Atanasov committed to informing the Ministry of Health of the results and proposing specific changes to the regulatory framework aimed at improving donation practices in the country.