Ukraine has updated the rules for tissue transplantation: what will change for patients
21 February 2025 21:17
on February 21, 2025, the Ministry of Health of Ukraine announced that the Cabinet of Ministers had adopted a resolution aimed at implementing a tissue transplantation system in accordance with European standards. This is reported by "Komersant Ukrainian" with reference to the website of the relevant ministry.
Health Minister Viktor Lyashko emphasized that this decision will create a modern and effective tissue transplantation system that will ensure high quality medical services and patient safety.
The new resolution defines the procedure for the removal, storage and use of biological materials for transplantation. It includes requirements for healthcare facilities involved in transplantation and sets standards for professionals involved in these procedures. The goal is to ensure transparency of the processes and compliance with international medical standards.
The State Service of Ukraine on Medicines and Drugs Control will be responsible for maintaining a register of medical institutions that provide tissues and hospital tissue banks and monitoring adverse reactions and possible complications after transplantation.
Currently, tissue transplants are not performed in Ukraine, but about 20,000 Ukrainians need such operations every year. For comparison, more than 2.5 million tissue transplants are performed annually in the United States. In Europe, this need is met by hospital tissue banks that accumulate and transfer donor materials to medical institutions.
It should be noted that on February 6, 2025, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed Law No. 4203-IX, which prohibits the removal of organs for transplantation from certain categories of people. According to the law, it is prohibited to remove anatomical materials from:
- orphans and children deprived of parental care;
- persons recognized as incapacitated;
- unidentified persons;
- persons who died as a result of the use of coercive measures by law enforcement or security forces;
- military personnel killed in the line of duty;
- persons who died as a result of armed aggression against Ukraine.
The law also provides for the establishment of the National Transplantation Committee, which will coordinate activities in the field of organ, tissue and cell transplantation at the national level. In addition, the law will improve the automatic search for donor-recipient pairs through the Unified State Information System for Organ and Tissue Transplantation, and introduces a procedure for organizing transplants based on the “domino” principle, when organs from several donors are used to treat several recipients.
The adoption of this regulatory act is aimed at developing the transplantation system in Ukraine, ensuring its compliance with European standards and protecting the rights of citizens. The new system is expected to improve the accessibility and quality of medical care, as well as strengthen public confidence in transplantation procedures.
