The Diplomat
The Ministry of Health has renewed its contribution of 320,000 euros to develop the Transplant Program of the World Health Organization (WHO) in the period 2021-2022.
On October 28th, the Minister of Health, Carolina Darias, and the Assistant Director General for Access to Medicines, Vaccines and Pharmaceuticals of the WHO, Mariângela Simão, signed simultaneously in Madrid and Geneva the international administrative agreement to carry out cooperation activities in the field of donation and transplantation of human organs, cells and tissues during the period 2021-2022, under the Framework Agreement for Cooperation between Spain and the WHO of September 12th, 2001.
The objective of this international agreement, which came into force on November 1 and was published in the Official State Gazette last Thursday, is to facilitate technical support by the National Transplant Organization (ONT) for the maintenance of the Global Observatory on Donation and Transplantation (GODT), a body established in Madrid in December 2005 following the signing of a joint declaration of intent between the Spanish Ministry of Health and the WHO.
The other main objective of the agreement is to help strengthen the capacity of member states to increase public access to transplantation therapy, improve the quality and safety of organs, tissues and cells for clinical use in humans, and ensure compliance with WHO’s guiding principles on human cell, tissue and organ transplantation.
Under the International Administrative Agreement, the Spanish Ministry of Health will make a financial contribution of 320,000 euros to the WHO for the maintenance of the organ, tissue and cell transplantation program. The activities covered by this agreement began last November 1 and will end on October 31, 2022. In the Ministry’s four previous international administrative agreements with the WHO, dated November 1, 2016, 2018, 2019 and 2020, Spain also pledged 320,000 euros.
According to the latest data from the World Transplant Registry – managed by the National Transplant Organization (ONT) as a WHO collaborating center – published in mid-August, Spain remained the world leader in organ donation in 2020 for the 29th consecutive year, despite the significant drop in donation and transplantation activity worldwide as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
