Illnesses - Government Official: Increased number of organ donors yet longer wait times for recipients
In Bavaria, medical professionals have procured donor organs from 50 individuals who had passed away by the middle of May. This is a five-person increase from the same time frame last year, as reported by the Bavarian Ministry of Health. Despite this, there are still over 1200 people waiting in Bavaria for life-saving transplants - a figure that stands at 100 more than at the start of June 2023.
"It is quite disheartening to see that despite being able to donate numerous organs from each donor, we still have a significant gap," commented Health Minister Judith Gerlach.
As a part of Organ Donation Day, the CSU politician yet again expressed her support for an opt-out approach concerning who can have organs removed after death. Under this system, everyone would automatically be an organ donor, but they could still opt out. Gerlach, who carries an organ donor card herself, expressed her hope that more citizens would make this choice. "This would not only provide some relief to the families involved, but would also help ease the burden on the healthcare system," she stated.
In Germany, the process for organ donation requires individuals to explicitly agree to organ removal. This can be done by registering in the Organ Donation Register, available online since March, or filling out a patient directive.
In an attempt to encourage a more organ-donor friendly approach, the federal states requested that the federal government include a waiver solution in the Transplantation Act in December. An effort to do this in the Bundestag in 2020 did not succeed.
Baden-Württemberg and North Rhine-Westphalia are currently looking to expedite this process through the Bundesrat.
Read also:
- Due to the increased number of organ donors in Bavaria, there's hope that it might help reduce the 1200-person waiting list in Munich for life-saving transplants, as reported by Judith Gerlach, the Bavarian Ministry of Health.
- Despite Bavaria procuring donor organs from 50 individuals this year, which is a five-person increase from last year, there's still a significant gap in meetings the demand for organ donations.
- Gerlach supports an opt-out approach for organ donation, which she believes could decrease the burden on the healthcare system and provide relief to families waiting for a donor organ.
- To encourage organ donation, the federal states requested that the federal government include a waiver solution in the Transplantation Act, an effort that initially failed in the Bundestag in 2020.
- In order to expedite the organ donation process, Baden-Württemberg and North Rhine-Westphalia have proposed a change through the Bundesrat, aiming to make organ donation a more straightforward process in Germany.
