The “International Organ Donation and Transplantation Conference” Was Held in Sarajevo with TİKA’s Support

As part of the International Transplant Network, which was launched to raise awareness about organ donation and transplantation, the International Organ Donation and Transplantation Conference was held in Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with the support of Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA).

Academics and health officials from Türkiye and Bosnia and Herzegovina attended the conference, which was held between Türkiye and Bosnia and Herzegovina to improve organ donation and transplantation.

On the first day of the conference, which was held on October 21 and 22, 2022, representatives of partner institutions that supported the conference delivered speeches and gave presentations. On the second day, more than 10 academics and specialists delivered speeches and gave presentations on several topics related to organ transplantation in 5 sessions.

The conference, which was held between Türkiye and Bosnia and Herzegovina, is the first event held as part of the two-year technical support and cooperation project for improving organ donation and transplantation. Erdinç Işık, TİKA’s Program Coordinator in Sarajevo, delivered a speech at the opening session of the conference. Işık stated that since the opening of TİKA’s office in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1995, the Agency has carried out nearly 1000 projects and activities in various fields, including the projects and activities for the renovation and equipping of several centers and hospitals and the training of healthcare providers across Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Dr. Marina Bera, Deputy Minister of Health of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, noted that Bosnia and Herzegovina has unfulfilled potential in the field of organ and tissue transplantation. She said, “I would like to thank TİKA for standing in solidarity with us and supporting us, especially in the field of health, at all times.”

Dr. Eyüp Kahveci, President of Turkish Transplant Foundation, delivered the opening speech at the conference, which was held with the support of Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA). He stated that the project will include bilateral training programs and that technical support is needed for the organ donation and transplantation system in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The conference was attended by a number of organizations, including the Network for Building Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Ministry of Health of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Turkish Transplant Foundation, the International Transplant Network, Bezmialem Vakıf University, the University of Health Sciences, the Faculty of Medicine at Gazi University, the Society of Turkish Intensivists, Turkish Society of Transplant Coordinators, and the Health Diplomacy Association.