Head of UGCC to promote organ transplantation

The Greek Catholic project "Zhyve.TV" announced an interactive programme "The Open Church", during which a talk on organ transplantation will be held with the head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, Sviatoslav Shevchuk.

"This time we will continue talking with His Beatitude Sviatoslav about the" Gift of Life"," the announcement says.

Among the issues to be discussed are the following: "Why does Ukraine actually lack organ transplantation? What could each of us do to save another life? How does the Church relate to transplantation and organ donation?"

Recall, in August 2016, the acting Minister of Health Uliana Suprun stated immediately after her appointment that she as a "doctor from the USA" would personally make every effort for the law on transplantation to be adopted as soon as possible. It should be noted that prior to her appointment, in 2015, she worked as a director of the School of Rehabilitation Medicine at the Ukrainian Catholic University (Lviv) headed by Greek Catholic Boris Gudziak.

"The United States has the highest level of transplantation. And they have a presumption of disagreement. The idea that it is necessary to explain to people what this means, and that the greatest, best gift that anyone can give to someone is life," so Suprun explained the need to popularize organ transplants.

Earlier, in April 2016, the deputies voted in the first reading for bill No. 2386-1, which amends the law "On transplantation of organs and other anatomical materials to humans." According to the amendments to the law, private companies can obtain permission to conduct organ transplant surgery.

In January 2017, Suprun again recalled the need to adopt this law. "The Ukrainians have long deserved the modern law, which will save lives here in Ukraine," she stressed. At the same time, the Ministry of Health, without waiting for the final adoption of the law on transplantation, set up a working group to establish the work of the future Coordination Center for Transplantation.

In turn, experts criticized the bill, pointing out that allowing private companies to perform organ transplant surgery could turn into the boom of "black transplantology".