In Argentina, the results of the 'Project for Cooperation between Countries for Health Development' (CCHD) were presented. This initiative is led by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the National Central Unique Coordinator of Ablation and Implant Institute (INCUCAI), aimed at strengthening donation and transplant systems in Bolivia, Ecuador, Paraguay, and Peru. The meeting took place in the province of Neuquén and marked the end of 16 months of joint work focused on strengthening legislation, creating and consolidating national programs and networks, and training human resources, in line with the 'Strategy and Plan of Action for Donation and Equitable Access to Organ, Tissue, and Cell Transplantation 2019-2030'.
Training and Normative Advances
As a PAHO collaborating center, INCUCAI provided technical assistance and specialized training to the teams of participating countries. Among the main achievements was the training of more than 500 professionals, especially in hospital donation coordination, pediatric liver transplantation, and cornea transplantation. Normative advances were also recorded, such as the promotion of a National Law on Donation and Transplant project in Bolivia, and the strengthening of health information systems in Paraguay, Ecuador, and Peru, in addition to community awareness actions.
Value of Regional Cooperation
During the opening, PAHO's Representative in Argentina, Eva Jané Llopis, stated that 'this collaboration represents an example of panamericanism' and emphasized that the process left lessons learned and a common roadmap to advance to a new stage of cooperation. In turn, the National Director of International Cooperation of the Argentine Chancellery, Mateo Estremé, highlighted the importance of regional solidarity and noted that these projects imply mutual learning that benefits all involved countries.
Towards Equitable Access to Transplantation
The President of INCUCAI, Carlos Soratti, stated that the current challenge is to ensure access to transplantation without causing the displacement of people, and reaffirmed Argentina's willingness to share its experience to strengthen the programs in the region. Finally, health authorities and technical representatives agreed that the initiative allowed for building solid capacities, based on horizontal cooperation and adapted to the realities of each country, with the goal of improving equitable access to transplantation and health information management in Latin America.
