As many as 63 persons who suffer from renal, liver or corneal diseases are waiting for transplantation. They were put on the waiting list of the Transplant Agency and will be operated depending on the gravity of their state. The National Clinical Hospital, where the transplant operations are carried out, does not have financial resources and will not perform such surgeries until the end of this year.
National Clinical Hospital director Sergiu Popa has told IPN that about 1.2 million lei is needed for liver transplantation, while for kidney transplantation – about 300,000 lei. The costs are covered from the state budget, through the agency of the National Health Insurance Company.
The cornea transplant operations are less costly and are covered by the National Clinical Hospital. Sergiu Popa said that from January 2014, the medical institution will have a centralized budget and the costs for every type of transplantation will be divided. Thus, they will be able to determine the number of transplant operations that will be performed during the year.
Lilia Onea, head of the National Health Insurance Company’s communication with the media service, said that the National Clinical Hospital this year has a budget of 156.2 million lei for all the types of surgeries performed there. The tariffs are set by the Ministry of Health.
Transplant Agency director Igor Codreanu said that during three years of the foundation of the Agency, the number of transplantations has been on the rise. In 2012-2013, in Moldova there were performed 17 kidney, liver and cornea transplant operations that involved specialists from the country and abroad. The waiting list includes 30 persons who need kidney transplantation, 15 persons who need liver transplantation and 18 people who need corneal transplantation.
The last transplant operation was performed by a group of Moldovan doctors and Romanian surgeon Irinel Popescu on June 7. The liver transplantation lasted for over six hours. The first such operation was carried out on February 22, when a young man donated a part of his liver to his mother.
