28 September 2010
Source: Vecernje Novosti – S. Babovic
Due to a very hard economic situation, residents of Doljevac decided to found an agency, which would, as they believe, save them from poverty. The organizers of this action say that more than one thousand persons are willing to look for the way out of the misery in this way.
Most of the poor population of the country lives in the south of Serbia
Doljevac has initiated the process for founding the agency which would sell human organs, which the initiator of this idea claims to be the only way for the poor to overcome the heavy misery in which they live.
The organizers of this action are aware that the law forbids the trade of human organs. Nevertheless, they say that they will send a request to the Serbian Business Registers Agency because nobody can be forbidden to take such a desperate step and try to sell their blood abroad.
– People don’t know how to provide the money to pay the school for their children, electricity bills etc. There are 4.000 unemployed persons in Doljevac, but their number is probably closer to a number between 6.000 to 7.000 because many of them do not register – says for “Novosti” Dragic Nerandzic, president of the Doljevac Forum and the Association of the combatants of 1999, who initiated this action. In our municipality which counts about 19.000 inhabitants, this figure reveals a terrible unemployment rate. People are forced to ask help from Social welfare centre and municipality in order to collect a minimum of resources for survival. Most of the young people are moving out of this place.
These reasons, says Nerandzic, motivated the initiative for founding the agency.
– We will try to make it happen, even if it is very hard – says Nerandzic, convinced that citizens of Doljevac could sell their blood expensively in the Western countries. – People are ready to do whatever it takes. There are more than 1.000 persons ready to sell their blood or organs if that will provide the minimum of material necessities for their children.
Ljubisa Stojanovic (50), electrician from Malosiste, would do the same. He survived a heart attack in 2007, which he believes to be the consequence of the war he took part in. He worked for 18 years, until 2001. He stated for “Novosti” that he was ready to do whatever it takes to feed his family.
– I am ready to sell blood or an organ to survive. I am aware that with such a bad health I cannot get a job. I find myself in a very hard financial situation because I have no earnings. My wife works and I have the insurance thanks to that fact. The situation is most difficult in this part of Serbia.
Among the desperate inhabitants of Doljevac there are persons of different generations. Zivorad Gavrilovic (32) also thinks that selling his blood abroad would be a chance for him to improve his living conditions.
– In our household, my father and I are both unemployed for the past six years. I am trying hard to find a job, but no success so far. I am ready to do anything.
In the Social welfare center in Doljevac the employees say that there are 340 families receiving some kind of social assistance in this municipality. There are around 1.700 persons in need.
– The situation is very bad. Our Center is the institution which is under a lot of pressure – says Sava Stevanovic, director of the Social Welfare Center in Doljevac and stresses that local authorities help as much as they are able to. – The inhabitants of Doljevac receive one time aid, social welfare; they pay monthly tickets for the transportation to the needy pupils and students in case they attend schools in Nis. There is also a problem with households of old people, who receive pensions of around 8.000 dinars, while their children do not have jobs. Indeed, it’s a hard life.
Finally, the initiators of the agency idea in Doljevac say that the state can forbid the formation of the agency for selling human organs, but nobody can stop them to sell their blood or organs abroad.
BLOOD PLASMA
Dr Zoran Stanojkovic, director of the Blood Transfusion Institute in Nis states for “Novosti” daily that donating blood in our country is in accordance to all European standards, that is, anonymous, safe and free of charge. Selling blood is not legal in most of the countries in the world. However, in the US and Japan trade of blood plasma is a legal and large business, with a yearly turnover of eight billion US dollars! United States are the world’s biggest exporter of blood plasma. More than 70 percent of this precious yellow liquid (which has much quicker capability of renewal when compared to blood) comes from American “blood banks”.
PROGHIBITION ON SALE
The staff of the Nephrology Clinic in Nis, where there is a three year successful experience in kidney transplantation, states for “Novosti” that any trade of human organs is strictly banned. – The law is clear on this issue. Only voluntary donation of organs is allowed – says Prof Dr Vidojko Djordjevic, director of this Clinic.