Ukraine to implement tissue transplantation system in line with European standards

The Cabinet of Ministers has adopted a resolution to regulate tissue transplantation in Ukraine. These amendments align with the Law of Ukraine On the Application of Transplantation of Anatomical Materials to Humans and incorporate European directives as part of Ukraine's Association Agreement with the EU.

According to Rubryka, citing the Ministry of Health, the government's decision establishes procedures for the extraction, storage, testing, processing, and use of tissues for transplantation, as well as quality requirements. The initiative covers the transplantation of bone fragments, tendons, ligaments, blood vessels, heart valves, and other structures of the musculoskeletal and cardiovascular systems.

"Despite the full-scale war, we are doing everything possible to ensure that advanced medical treatments like transplantation continue to develop. This decision will allow hospitals to create their own tissue banks—an important step in saving the lives of military personnel and civilians with severe injuries, as well as patients with congenital defects and complex conditions requiring reconstructive and plastic surgery. Tissue transplantation is rapidly advancing and offers new possibilities for treating previously incurable diseases. We are committed to providing Ukrainians with access to modern medical technologies that were once only available abroad," said Viktor Liashko, Ukraine's Minister of Health.

The State Service of Ukraine for Medicines and Drug Control will oversee the register of medical institutions providing tissues and managing hospital tissue banks, as well as monitor adverse reactions and complications after transplantation.

Currently, tissue transplantation is not performed in Ukraine, though an estimated 20,000 Ukrainians require such procedures annually. In comparison, more than 2.5 million tissue transplants are conducted in the United States each year. In Europe, hospital-based tissue banks supply donor materials to medical institutions, a model Ukraine now seeks to implement to save lives and ensure the quality and safety of anatomical materials.

Transplantation is a vital branch of medicine that offers life-saving opportunities for many patients. Individuals can express their consent to organ donation by informing a transplant coordinator at a designated hospital or transplantation center.

Additionally, President Volodymyr Zelensky signed Law On Amendments to Certain Laws of Ukraine Regulating the Transplantation of Anatomical Materials to a Person, which was adopted by the Ukrainian parliament on December 16, 2021.

In 2024 alone, Ukrainian doctors performed 467 organ transplants in the first eleven months of the year.