Transplantation in Ukraine: Health Ministry to introduce a Unified state transplantation information system and to provide access to international donor registers

The introduction of a unified state transplantation information system is the priority today, because it is an important step in the development of the national transplantation system in Ukraine. Donor registers exist to help find a matching donor for a patient in need of a transplant.

Ukraine’s Health Ministry announced tenders for the procurement of the software development services for the development of the unified transplantation information system, and continues working on purchasing access to international registers of living bone marrow donors.

The 2018 state budget allocated more than UAH 28 million to the development of transplantation in Ukraine, of which UAH 26.378 million are to be used on the procurement of the information system software development services, and UAH 1.9 million – on the purchase of access to international donor registers.

It is envisaged that the unified state transplantation information system will include nine different registers, as follows:

1. A register of personal wills with declared consent or refusal to donate cells, tissues or organs for transplantation after death, or with designation of the authorized representative who knows confidential information regarding the intention of a deceased person expressed during his or her lifetime regarding donation of cells, tissues or organs for transplantation after death.
2. A register of requested consent from legal representatives, in accordance with the procedure established by law, to harvesting the deceased donor’s anatomical materials for transplantation and / or manufacturing of bioimplants;
3. A register of anatomical human materials harvested for transplantation and / or manufacturing of bioimplants;
4. A register of living donors;
5. A register of living donors of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs);
6. A register of recipients;
7. A register of recipients of donated anatomical materials;
8. A register of accredited healthcare facilities and medical institutions that carry out activities related to transplantation of human organs and other anatomical materials;
9. A register of transplant coordinators.

Ukraine has no unified national donor registers. This is still one of the main obstacles to the development of bone marrow transplantation in Ukraine. In the absence of the national register, Ukrainians have to go to foreign clinics for bone marrow transplantation from a non-native donor, including to clinics in Belarus, Turkey, Italy, Poland, and other countries around the world. Therefore, the main task for the Ministry of Health of Ukraine is currently to develop a unified state transplantation information system, which will store all the necessary information about both donors and recipients, in line with the highest international standards.

The Ministry of Health of Ukraine has made the first step towards introducing national donor registers, and making transplantation a reality in our country.