Issue 56, 14 October 2010

In this edition Welcome News from the EU Reporting from across Europe Forthcoming Events New Publications Focus
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Welcome

Organ donation and transplantation in Europe

Dr. Alessandro Nanni Costa, Director, Italian National Transplant Centre

Donation and transplantation activities in Europe can finally rely on a common reference framework thanks to Directive 2010/45/EU on standards of quality and safety of human organs for transplantation. From now on, EU citizens can be sure that such standards will be met when they donate or receive organs. The Directive also stresses the need to abide by ethical principles, particularly the notion that organs – from deceased or living donors – must never be bought or sold.

The Directive accompanies three steps in the action plans dedicated to increasing organ availability, making transplantation systems more efficient and accessible and improving safety and quality. Through these measures – which will be implemented over several years – the Commission is tackling one of the more sensitive and critical healthcare issues.

The expected results are:

harmonisation of donation procedures in the EU
reinforcement of EU countries' regulation and management framework
additional guarantees for citizens.

The Commission has taken an extraordinary step on behalf of citizens to improve the system. The European MPs and Council representatives deserve sincere thanks from citizens, patients and national transplant networks.

We hope that over the next few years these efforts will lay the groundwork for a high-quality European transplant network that is ethical, transparent and safe.

News from the EU

Directive on standards of quality and safety of human organs intended for transplantation

Adopted in July 2010. Provides for the appointment of bodies in all EU countries to authorise procurement and transplantation centres and activities, for the introduction of traceability systems and for the reporting of serious adverse events and reactions.

Public consultation – revision of the Tobacco Products Directive

Launched by the Commission to gather views on factors such as labelling and health warnings on tobacco packets and additives used as tobacco ingredients. Ends on 19 November 2010.

EU Health Prize for Journalists 2010 – finalists announced!

The national juries have now selected the finalists for each country, who will now compete at EU level. Read their articles in the original language and in English!

Launch of Fit for Work Europe Coalition

This is part of continuous efforts to make musculoskeletal disorders a priority for health and work ministries across the EU. The coalition will work in partnership with the European League Against Rheumatism in Brussels and at national level.

Reporting from across Europe

Italy

2010 anti-smoking campaign – "I'll never smoke!"

This new health ministry campaign tries to reduce teenage smoking by discouraging them from ever starting in the first place.

Poland

Computerworld Honors – winner in healthcare category

Warsaw's Institute of Physiology and Pathology of Hearing is this year's Computerworld Honors winner in the healthcare category.

Lithuania

Baltic countries consider developing a common system of organ transplantation

Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian leaders discussed the plans at their last trio-meeting in Riga, and the Baltic Assembly is also set to debate them, Lithuanian Health Minister Raimondas Šukys told news agency BNS.

Forthcoming Events

12th European Organ Donation Day – conference (23 October 2010)

The programme covers a wide variety of issues and topics, including the Council of Europe's strategies in the field of organ transplantation, organ transplantation activities in Georgia and the Caucasus, the ‘Spanish model' of organ donation and World Health Organization (WHO) and EU policies.

Empowerment in Mental Health – Working together for Leadership meeting (27 - 28 October 2010)

The WHO Regional Office for Europe with the support of the European Commission will hold this leadership meeting that will bring together local and national champions of empowerment and government representatives to discuss concrete opportunities for user and family carer empowerment.

Reducing health inequalities from a regional perspective (8 - 9 November 2010)

The conference will examine the efficiency of policy measures and initiatives aiming to eliminate or reduce health inequalities.

New Publications

How to give life – organ donation, let’s talk about it

Today more than 50 000 people in Europe are waiting for transplant of a kidney, liver, heart, lung, etc. Medicine is progressing by leaps and bounds, but waiting lists are as long as ever.

Towards universal access – scaling up priority HIV/AIDS interventions in the health sector

This report reviews progress made in 2009 in scaling up access to selected health sector interventions for HIV prevention, treatment and care in low- and middle-income countries.

Focus

Become a donor - save a life

Activities at EU level

Health-EU - Patient Safety

European Commission – DG Health and Consumers

Health-EU - Quality Assurance

European Commission - DG Health and Consumers

Health - EU Rare diseases

European Commission - DG Health and Consumers

Europe for patients – Organ donation and transplantation

European Commission - DG Health and Consumers

Blood, tissues and organs

European Commission - DG Health and Consumers

EU Health Prize for journalists 2010 – Articles

We give the heart the OK!’ by Mia Eidlhuber, national nominee for Austria

This article was nominated primarily because of its focus on the complex and fascinating world of coordinating heart transplantations, which is explained in an easily understandable way.

Where to get gifts that are priceless by Inta Brikere, national nominee for Latvia

The article covers not only donor and transplantation issues, but also cross-border healthcare.

Her best Christmas present ever: after 32 years in the dark, Iveta Buriková was given the gift of sight. By Alzbeta Linhardova, national nominee for Slovakia

Would you donate your organs? By Mojca Lorenčič, national nominee for Slovenia

Every day in these countries, four patients die waiting for an organ transplant.

Blood sister by Audrė Srėbalienė, national nominee for Lithuania

Spouse? Haematologist? Psychologist? Donor? Which is the most important for someone who’s just found out they have blood cancer?

Health Programme Projects

European living donor psychosocial follow-up

The main objective of this project is to help ensure high-quality living-organ donation programs by creating a follow-up model for the living donors' psychosocial well-being and quality of life. The impact of the recipient’s outcome on the donor and the donor’s perception of the process will also be evaluated in the follow-up model.

In this edition

Welcome

Organ donation and transplantation in Europe Dr. Alessandro Nanni Costa, Director, Italian National Transplant Centre

News from the EU

Reporting from across Europe

Italy

Poland

Lithuania

Forthcoming Events

New Publications

Focus

Become a donor - save a life

Activities at EU level

EU Health Prize for journalists 2010 – Articles

Health Programme Projects

Other interesting links

Organ donation and transplantation in Europe

Dr. Alessandro Nanni Costa, Director, Italian National Transplant Centre