Despite reaching an agreement earlier this year to pave the way for Bosnia and Herzegovina’s (BiH) membership in Eurotransplant, the country has yet to meet the necessary conditions. The Ministry of Civil Affairs emphasized the need for an organized transplant system at the national level.

The Ministry stated that discussions about BiH's membership in Eurotransplant have been ongoing for many years, with numerous initiatives yielding no results. In January, a letter of intent was sent to Eurotransplant, following a long-overdue agreement with entity health ministers.

“The path to full membership in Eurotransplant is long and demanding, involving a seven-step process. We have completed two steps in the first six months of this year,” said the Ministry.

To accelerate the process, Minister Dubravka Bošnjak met with Eurotransplant leaders in June, who expressed their readiness to support BiH. They discussed formalizing cooperation through a bilateral agreement on cross-border organ exchange as a first step towards membership.

BiH's progress will be reviewed at the Eurotransplant annual meeting in October 2024. To join, BiH must meet several criteria, including establishing legal frameworks for organ donation and transplantation, and achieving an organ donation rate above 10 per million inhabitants, which it currently does not meet.

The Ministry of Civil Affairs noted, “BiH awaits a roadmap from Eurotransplant outlining the necessary steps. Recommendations include having an agreement with an airline for organ transfers and organizing national efforts to respond quickly, alongside media campaigns promoting donor significance.”

Membership in Eurotransplant is crucial as it provides patients with life-saving opportunities. Recent discussions with Croatia's Minister of Health, Vili Beroš, indicated Croatia’s willingness to assist BiH, leveraging its experience since joining Eurotransplant in 2007.