NATIONAL ACTION PLAN FOR TRANSPLANTS - Pafos Live 10/10
The state's priority is to strengthen the coordination of services, to clarify responsibilities and to ensure systematic monitoring of the results in terms of transplants, said the Minister of Health Neophytos Charalambidis.
Speaking in the square of the medieval castle of Paphos during the official opening ceremony of the European Day of Organ, Tissue and Cell Donation, which Cyprus is hosting this year, he noted that this direction includes the preparation of a National Action Plan for transplants, the further institutional organization of the sector and the development of an integrated information system for the relevant registries.
The implementation of this planning, he continued, depends largely on the professionals who undertake the identification of potential donors and the coordination of the process.
The President of the Republic, Nikos Christodoulides, in a video message on the occasion of the 25th European Day of Organ, Tissue and Cell Donation, said that it is the obligation of the state to cultivate trust in the transplant system, to support patients and to strengthen a culture of solidarity, empathy and giving.
He also called on society to be informed about the donation and to strengthen it with its decisions and actions.
The hosting of the celebrations of the European Day in Cyprus, he concluded, is an important recognition, noting that, at the same time, "it is accompanied by the great responsibility to talk openly and honestly about the donation, to properly inform the citizens in order to eliminate fears and prejudices.
According to Council of Europe data, more than 100,000 patients in the Member States are waiting for an organ transplant, while more than 8,000 people die while on a waiting list.
The European Organ, Tissue and Cell Donation Day 2026 is organised by the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Cyprus and the Cyprus Transplant Council, with the support of the Karaiskakis Foundation, and in collaboration with the European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines and Healthcare.
