‘The Most Important Call in Life’ campaign sends a wakeup call: BECOME BETTER PEOPLE. BE A DONOR.

With the installation of 2,000 sand timers in Republic Square, representing around 2,000 patients on the transplant waiting list in Serbia and carrying the message that time is running out, the campaign "The Most Important Call in Life" continued at one minute to 12 o'clock. Under the slogan "Become Better People. Be a Donor." we aim to raise public awareness to create a society of responsible and compassionate individuals who embrace organ donation as the most humane act.

"We have only one task – to raise public awareness about the importance of donation and save the lives of around 2,000 people, including the lives of around forty children. They are waiting for the most important call in their lives, a call that means a donor has appeared and they have been given a chance for a new life," stated representatives from the Serbian Ministry of Health, the Directorate for Biomedicine, Hemofarm and the Hemofarm Foundation, the B92 Fund, and associations of patients awaiting organ transplants or who have already received a transplant: Together for a New Life, Donation is Heroism, and Pan Transplant. They called for national unity over this vital issue.

"As a doctor, I have often witnessed how attitudes toward organ donation change when transplantation is the only way to save a life. Organ donation is a heroic and lifesaving act and given that the number of people waiting for transplants exceeds the number of available organs, it is essential for us all to work together to promote this cause. The only way to help those on the waiting list is to fully implement a national program for donation and transplantation. We will soon have new legislation on human organ transplantation, we are discussing this issue with the church, we have specialized medical teams, state-of-the-art facilities in healthcare institutions, and we want to unite everyone around this matter. Through raising public awareness and continuous education, we aim to achieve national consensus on this critical issue, which is truly a matter of life," said Dr. Zlatibor Lončar, Minister of Health.

"It has been shown that every time we conduct a campaign, the number of donors and transplants in Serbia increases. This was the case in 2016, 2019, and 2023. As a responsible partner to the state and society, whose purpose is to care for people's health, we have re-engaged to finally address this issue in the interest of the lives of those on the transplant waiting list. Organ donation is a precious gift of life that helps save or improve the lives of others. I urge everyone to support us and promote organ donation," said Dr. Ronald Seeliger, CEO of Hemofarm, adding that this is the only way to build a responsible and humane society, which must be in the interest of us all.

The continuation of the campaign "The Most Important Call in Life" was also an opportunity for Dr. Zoran Dragišić, a member of parliament and professor at the Faculty of Security, to share his personal experience – he donated the organs of his wife, who passed away suddenly from a brain aneurysm. "I am glad that in that difficult moment, we had the opportunity to do something good for others. Her heart, liver, kidneys, and corneas were donated. I pray to God that these people are well and that her organs have helped them continue their lives. Amid that immense pain and shock, from which I have not recovered and will never fully recover, it comforts me to know that some people are living with her organs and that she continues to live on through them," said Dr. Dragišić.

The campaign "The Most Important Call in Life" is being implemented with the support of the creative agencies Jazavac and Utorak, as well as Orange Studio. The campaign has also received support from the agencies Alma Quattro, Babbler Media Group, Vivid Moment, the leading cinema group Cineplexx, the Naxis taxi association, and the Millennium Center, all aiming to inspire others to support organ donation through their personal examples.

The road to our goal is still long – to eliminate the waiting list for organ transplants in Serbia, at least ten donors per million inhabitants are needed. The fight for every life continues, and we all have a 20 times greater chance of needing an organ than being a donor.

Since the beginning of 2024, only 19 transplants have been performed in Serbia with the consent of 6 donors, a decrease compared to the previous year. Fifteen families have refused to donate the organs of their loved ones who suffered brain death. Around 2,000 people, including near 40 children, are waiting for a new organ in Serbia.