Health - Discussions about organ donation greatly increased
In the past year, consultations about organ and tissue donation have significantly increased. General practitioners and specialists conducted approximately 3.8 million consultations on the conditions and possibilities, as reported by the Central Institute for Statutory Health Insurance in Germany (Germany's health insurance institution). In the previous year, there had been 2.44 million such consultations.
These consultations could help allay fears and apprehensions and increase the number of organ donations, stated Zi-Chairman Dominik von Stillfried in a press release. "Our results show that there is a great willingness to donate organs in the population, but there is a much greater need for medically assured information and qualified consultation."
A law that came into effect in March 2022 considers an informed consultation as an additional service provided by general practitioners. Patients and clients are therefore entitled to a clarification about organ donation every two years.
In the past year, 8,400 people were waiting for organ donations.
More organs such as kidneys, livers, or hearts are needed for seriously ill patients for years. In the past year, 965 people donated an organ or several organs after their death, as determined by the coordinating German Organ Transplantation Foundation. At the same time, 8,400 people were on the waiting list. For donations to even be considered, two independent specialists must confirm the brain death of the deceased.
With the 2020 Register Act, organ donations are only permitted with explicit consent. The Bundesrat is advocating for a change in the rules to enable more transplantations. The Council of Ministers passed a bill last week to introduce a waiver procedure in the Bundestag. In March, an organ donor registry went live, in which one can store declarations of one's donation readiness online.
- The increase in organ donation consultations in Berlin, as part of Germany's nationwide efforts, is a testament to the population's willingness to donate organs.
- The new law in Germany, effective from March 2022, requires general practitioners to provide a consultation on organ donation as an additional service, emphasizing the importance of medicine and information in the process.
- Despite the significant increase in organ donations in Germany last year, with 965 donations, there is still a pressing need for more organ donations, as 8,400 individuals continue to wait for such life-saving procedures in Berlin and across the country.
