In a significant policy shift, tissue and cell donors in the Czech Republic will now receive full salary compensation during any work disability following donation, matching benefits previously reserved for organ donors. This change comes as part of a new parliamentary amendment to the transplantation law that took effect this month, aimed at encouraging more people to become donors.
Under the new legislation, tissue and cell donors will be entitled to receive the difference between their lost income and any sick pay they receive from the state. The amendment also covers reimbursement for expenses incurred due to the donation process.
Lawmakers behind the amendment highlighted that tissues and cells, including hematopoietic cells harvested from bone marrow, are essentially impossible to obtain through alternative means. “It is therefore appropriate to support the willingness of tissue and cell donors in the same way as is currently the case for organ donors,” they wrote in their justification.
The financial impact on the state budget is expected to be minimal, with estimates ranging from tens to hundreds of thousands of crowns annually. Authorities note that health complications for tissue and cell donors are relatively rare, with only a few cases reported each year, and these typically involve minor issues.
Interestingly, the Parliament explicitly excluded reproductive cell donors from receiving the income differential compensation. This exclusion was implemented due to concerns that financial incentives might inappropriately motivate individuals to donate these specific types of cells.