The Ministry of Health of Ukraine seeks to obtain transplant independence of Ukraine within the next three years, Minister of Health Maksym Stepanov said.

"The Ministry of Health seeks to obtain the transplant independence of Ukraine within the next three years. To this end, in 2020, the Ministry of Health initiated the approval of the relevant regulatory framework," the press service of the department quoted Stepanov as saying at a briefing on Saturday, December 25.

It is reported that, in particular, this week, at the initiative of the Ministry of Health, the government expanded the list of healthcare institutions that are joining the pilot transplant project to 38. One private hospital has also joined the project.

So, according to the minister, the development of the direction of transplantation is one of the priority tasks of the Ministry of Health. The ministry estimates the need for such operations at about 5,000 per year.

"However, over the past 29 years, this area of ​​medical care has been launched in Ukraine," Stepanov said.

According to the Ministry of Health, a total of eight heart transplants, 19 liver transplants, 91 kidney transplants were performed in Ukraine in 2020. During the year, 118 transplants were performed, and in 2019 - 78.

At the same time, it is expected that in 2021 Ukraine will at least double the number of transplants - at least 250 transplants of vital organs.