Despite a long waiting list of patients, there are still far too few organ donors in Bavaria. “Specifically, according to the German Organ Transplantation Foundation (DSO), there were 101 post-mortem organ donors in Bavaria from January to October 2023 inclusive. In the previous year there were 100 in the same period,” said the new Health Minister Judith Gerlach (CSU) on Thursday in Munich. In Germany, more than 8,400 people are currently waiting for a donor organ – including more than 1,100 in Bavaria.
“It is depressing that the discrepancy between donors and people waiting for a donor organ is still so great,” emphasized Gerlach, who said she has an organ donor card. There is only a very small increase in organ donations across Germany. “We therefore have to convince significantly more people to decide on an organ donation card and thereby save lives.”
According to the DSO, the number of organ donations after the death of a person has increased slightly in Germany compared to previous years. But the difference between donors and the organs needed is still large. While there were 710 organ donors in the first ten months of 2022, there have been 788 so far this year. “It is my goal that more people deal with the topic of organ donation. Because most citizens are fundamentally opposed to organ and tissue donation positive towards – that is an important signal and shows the enormous potential in organ donation,” said Gerlach.
However, according to a survey by the Federal Center for Health Education, only 44 percent had an organ donor card or a corresponding living will. “Anyone who ensures clarity during their lifetime takes the burden of making a decision away from their relatives in difficult times.”
“I am for the contradiction solution”
Because the number of organ donors has been extremely low for years, politicians have long been discussing reversing the system towards the so-called contradiction solution. Here every citizen can become an organ donor after death if they have not expressly refused. However, consent is currently required in Germany – from the patient themselves using an organ donation card or their relatives. In countries with the opt-out solution – such as Spain – the number of organ donors is significantly higher.
“I am in favor of the contradiction solution. Because it offers the chance that more people can get a life-saving donor organ,” said Gerlach when asked by the German Press Agency in Munich. Organ donation would then be the normal case and no longer the special case with express consent. “And one thing is clear: we need more donors.”