Press Release -

NEWS

Press Release - "Organ donation and transplantation are Member State priorities"

10.07.2012, 11:07 (CET)

The issue of organ donation and transplantation is of major importance to Member States and the European Commission, according to the initial discussions from the first morning of the Informal meeting of EU Health Ministers, which started today at the ‘Filoxenia’ Conference Centre in Lefkosia (Nicosia).

During the morning session of the Informal meeting in Cyprus, EU Ministers of Health identified the need for better-coordinated actions to further inform the public on the issue of organ donation and transplantation, a priority topic in the Presidency’s agenda in the field of health.

"The results of the discussions so far, as well as the intervention of the Commissioner of Health, showed that both the Member States and the European Commission consider the issue of organ donation and transplantation as a priority. It is worth considering the large number of patients who will benefit from a compatible donor, the cost effectiveness of a transplantation surgery, and the large number of patients on waiting lists for a compatible donor, to understand the need for further coordinated actions, to raise public awareness on this issue," said Dr. Stavros Malas, the Health Minister of Cyprus, in a press conference following the morning session.

Ministers will continue discussions and exchange views on organ donations and transplantations in the session before lunch. They will also hear a testimony by two Cypriots, a donor and a receiver of an organ donation, who will share their life story.

During the working lunch that will follow, a debate will be held on the European Commission Action Plan on EU Health Workforce, part of the recent Commission “Employment Package".

More information on the discussions from the first day of the Informal meeting of EU Health Ministers will be included in a press release following the conclusion of the day’s work.