History of tissue transplantation in the Republic of Moldova

Introduction. The successful history of tissue transplantation in the Republic of Moldova has its origin in the early 1960s. The most frequently tissues transplanted were the skeletal tissues and cornea. Numerous problems in the field were reported within the Joint Programme CoE-EC for 2004 – 2006 by the Council of Europe’s experts with further support in the implementation of priority strategies related to human substances procurement and transplantation. The activities concerning the implementation of the legislation in accordance with the European Union requirements started in 2004. Materials and methods. The Law no. 42-XVI, which sets the framework in the field of transplantation, was developed and adopted by the Parliament on March 6, 2008. In 2010 in compliance with the provisions of the above-mentioned Law the Transplant Agency was established with the major goal to implement efficiently the state policy in the field of transplantation of human organs, tissues and cells. The estimated current needs for tissues are: bone marrow transplants at 40 - 50 per year, valve transplants at 100 patients, and of cornea – at 150. Results. The first multi-tissue human bank was authorized in 2013. Pursuing the scope to improve donation and transplantation of tissues and cells the existing Law no. 42-XVI was completed by Law no.103 in 2014, and covers all the human tissues and cells. On March 2013 the cornea procurement and transplantation were relaunched. From year to year the total number of tissues transplanted is increasing, so, in 2016 there were 605 tissues transplanted to 232 recipients (46 children) compared to 243 tissues transplanted to 174 recipients (23 children) in 2013. Conclusion. The establishment of an efficient transplant system contributes to cover the country’s needs in tissues for the patient’s treatment