North Macedonia’s Health Minister Azir Aliu said organ donation represents “the highest act of human solidarity”, calling for greater public awareness about organ donation as the country marked World Kidney Day at the University Clinic for Nephrology in Skopje.
World Kidney Day this year is observed under the motto “Kidney Health for All – Caring for Patients and Protecting the Planet”. Health authorities say chronic kidney disease is a serious global health challenge, with diabetes and high blood pressure among the leading causes of kidney damage.
Aliu said the Health Ministry is working to raise awareness about organ donation and is organising public forums on the issue in cooperation with civil society groups.
“The aim is to open a public discussion on medical facts, legal aspects and the life stories of patients waiting for or already receiving transplants, with the participation of doctors, patients, donors and representatives of religious communities,” Aliu said.
Forums have already been held in the cities of Ohrid and Bitola, while another is scheduled for March 27 in Shtip.
Health authorities estimate that about 10% of the country’s population suffers from some form of kidney disease, while around 160 patients are currently on the active kidney transplant waiting list.
Nikola Gjorgjievski, director of the Nephrology Clinic, said authorities are preparing legal amendments to expand the circle of family members who can donate a kidney as living donors.
“The changes will raise the threshold of kinship, meaning more generations of relatives will be eligible to donate a kidney to patients in need,” Gjorgjievski said.
National transplant coordinator Biljana Kuzmanovska urged people to discuss organ donation with their families, noting that relatives sometimes withdraw consent even after initially agreeing to donate organs from a deceased donor.
“There is nothing more valuable than saving a human life at the moment when another life is ending,” she said.
In North Macedonia, around 85% of patients with end-stage kidney failure are treated with haemodialysis, while about 15% receive kidney transplants.
Aliu said he expects a new law on transplantation to be prepared and submitted to parliament by the end of April, aiming to ease access to donors and increase the number of transplants.