Number of organ donations in Germany at a low level
The number of post-mortem organ donations in Germany has risen again this year. After a decline in 2022, there were 788 organ donors in the 1,200 German removal hospitals, eleven percent more than in the same period last year, the German Organ Transplantation Foundation (DSO) announced on Thursday at the start of its annual congress in Würzburg.
In the same period, 2381 organs were removed, compared to 2180 in the previous year. In Germany, 2480 organs were transplanted from the Eurotransplant network, compared to 2294 in the same period in 2022.
According to a statement from the DSO, Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) made it clear in a video message that Germany continues to perform very poorly in an international comparison. "This is shameful and life-threatening for the patients concerned," said Lauterbach. He called on everyone involved to work towards a successful launch of the organ donation register.
"The upward trend that we already saw in the middle of the year has continued. We are currently pretty much at the same level as in 2018," said Axel Rahmel, Medical Director of the Organ Transplantation Foundation. However, these figures should not obscure the fact that there is still a glaring shortage of donor organs in Germany. "In view of the approximately 8,500 seriously ill patients on the waiting lists, we cannot, must not and will not accept the level that has been reached," said Rahmel.
According to him, many organ donations still fail due to a lack of consent. In only 35 percent ofcases this year, the verbal or written will of the deceased was decisive. A written expression of will was even only available in 15 percent of possible organ donations. In the other cases, it depended on the behavior of the relatives.
The need for discussions on increasing organ donation consents becomes apparent, given the persistent health issue of organ shortages in Germany, as highlighted during health-focused conferences. The importance of medicine and healthcare in promoting organ donation was emphasized by Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach during the recent Medicine and Health Conferences.
Source: www.dpa.com
