The Minister of Health announces the last-minute official provisions, which are necessary for millions of Romanians throughout the country, more precisely Alexandru Rafila talks below about a Government Decision for the approval of a contribution that must be paid by our country for international cooperation.
The Minister of Health says that the National Transplant Agency must be interconnected with other similar international institutions, for cooperation regarding transplants, and Alexandru Rafila says that a fee must be paid for this interconnection, so that Romanians can also receive organs from other countries .
"Although it has duties in cooperation with similar international institutions, the National Transplantation Agency cannot conclude agreements and memoranda to improve the international exchange of organs for transplantation because it cannot pay annual contributions and taxes. If agreements and memorandums were concluded to improve the international exchange of organs, the chances of Romanian patients to benefit from transplant procedures would increase.
In order to be a member of the networks - for example of the FOEDUS-EOEO platform for organ exchange for transplant patients - it is sometimes necessary to pay a fee or a fee by the Agency. Being an institution fully financed from the state budget, the only financial resource is represented by the state budget, through the budget of the Ministry of Health.
According to art. 143 para. (81) and (9) of Law no. 95/2006 regarding the health reform, republished, with the subsequent amendments and competitions, the National Transplantation Agency can pay annual contributions and taxes, in order to achieve interconnection with similar international institutions and/or with international organ exchange organizations and their amount is approved annually by Government Decision.
The amount of the contribution for the interconnection with similar international institutions and/or with international organ exchange organizations, in the year 2024, is set at the sum of 1000 euros. Through the European project Joint Action FOEDUS EU GA20122101 (Facilitating exchange of organs donated in EU member states, carried out in the period 2013 – 2016) - in which Romania participated with the Fundeni Clinical Institute as a partner involved in the project.
And experts from the National Transplant Agency, an IT platform was created for the international exchange of organs with the help of which organs can be offered/accepted between member countries. The partner on this platform is the National Transplant Agency, the only institution authorized in Romania to approve the export and/or import of organs in order to carry out transplant procedures, together with the other competent authorities in Europe, members of FOEDUS."
