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On October 9 the RA NA Standing Committee on Healthcare, Maternity and Childhood organized parliamentary hearing on “On Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues.”

The NA Deputies, Deputy Minister of Healthcare Sergey Khachatryan, civil servants from the RA Ministry of Healthcare, experts from Belgium and Iran, health workers, representatives of NGOs and Hematology Center attended the hearings.

The Chairman of the RA NA Standing Committee on Healthcare, Maternity and Childhood Ara Babloyan has noted that the goal of the hearing is to get acquainted with the world best practice of living and cadaveric organ donation and discuss its pros and cons and find the best model for Armenia. Ara Babloyan has informed that the issue has long been discussed in Armenia. In the deputy’s word if there is a possibility to transplant cadaveric organs and tissues for saving other people’s lives, improve the quality of their life, we need to discuss the insights by which we can do it.

Professor Marc De Broe, Emeritus Head of the Nephrology-Hypertension Department in University of Antwerp, has presented the Belgian experience. The professor has thoroughly presented the issue of cadaveric renal transplantation, clarified what can we learn from 50-year experience in Belgium.

The professor informed that still in 1965-1986 only renal transplantation was taking place in Belgium, as by law the sphere was not regulated. From the beginning their decision was to transplant only the cadaveric donors' organs. However, gradually the legislative field was regulated, and they also began to take organs from human beings. Professor De Broe has noted that, according to the Belgian laws, if a person wishes to have his/her organ transplanted , he/she should be registered in the community register. The law does not force but after any person’s death the doctors consult with the family members for organ transplantation. Belgium is the first country in the world in organ donation per year: about 350.

Professor Mr Dirk Ysebaert, Head of Hepatobiliary and Transplantation Surgery, Antwerp University Hospital, presented the recent insights in organ donation-retrieval.

Dirk Ysebaert has noted that it is the 5^th time he has been to Armenia for the exchange of experience. According to the Belgian Professor, the transplantation is an example of solidarity, and the organ donation stems from the interests of the family, society and patient. The Professor detailed about today’s situation in Europe, touched upon the use of the special devices by which they transplant those organs.

Professor Mitra Mahdavi-Mazdeh, Teheran University, presented the pros and contras of the Iranian model of living and cadaveric renal transplantation. He noticed that the reality of Iran and Armenia is the same, thus, we have to overcome the same difficulties. In the professor’s word, every year in Iran 2000 transplantations are carried out. The Iranian Professor noted that in Iran for a long time the issue of living organ donation was a big problem, but already in 2013 the Government began to permit. Mahdavi-Mazdeh thoroughly presented the healthcare expenditure (6% of GDP), and noted that since 2011 the donor has already been getting compensation from the government of the country, there is also progress in the issues of awareness and education of the community.

The RA Deputy Minister of Healthcare Sergey Khachatryan presented the path passed by Armenia in this sphere and the problems. He has informed particularly that the draft law “On Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues” has been adopted, which designs possibility of cadaveric organ donation. However, the law in our country is not in force, as the sub-legislative acts have not yet been worked out.

During the debate the concerned parties submitted their viewpoints and addressed questions to the specialists.

The Chairman of the RA NA Standing Committee on Healthcare, Maternity and Childhood Ara Babloyan stated that they would continue the cooperation with the specialists of different countries for reaching progress in this sphere.