Improving organ donation and transplantation in Europe

The European Commission is about to launch a wide consultation on organ transplantation in June 2006 (envisaged date for the launch: 19 June). An organ transplantation is the only treatment possible in the case of some serious pathologies. Nonetheless, according to a survey commissioned by the European Commission, the number of organ donors from one country to another varies between 2 to 35 donors per million inhabitants. Thus, depending on where they live, European patients do not have equal chances to benefit from a transplantation. Furthermore, all countries without exception are faced with the impossibility to treat all the patients on their waiting lists because the organs available are so scarce. Depending on the type of transplant, it is estimated that on the average 15 to 30% of the patients on these waiting lists die because they did not receive a biocompatible organ in time. In the attempt to improve the situation, the European Commission will now launch a wide consultation on organ transplants. The objective is twofold: 1.to enable the EU countries to share their experiences in promoting and organising organ donations, 2.to analyse possible scenarios for cross-border organ exchange, presented as a means to address the growing shortage of available organs. The TV report " Improving organ donation and transplantation in Europe" shows how Spain, which had one of Europe's lowest organ donor rates, over 15 years has moved to the head of the list with 35 donors per million inhabitants. It then shows why 6 countries have decided to come together under the Eurotransplant foundation in order to share their national resources.

European Commission | June 19, 2006

Tags:. .biocompatible. .twofold. .pathologies. .envisaged. .inhabitants