30 May 07 - Euro Donor Card ProposedThe European Commission is proposing an EU-wide Organ Donor Card in an attempt to tackle the shortage of organs available for transplant operations. Figures show that there are around 40,000 people in Europe on transplant waiting lists and that 10 people die every day waiting for a donor organ. The Commission also proposes creating organ transplant coordinators in hospitals and making better use of living donors, and suggests guidelines are drawn up to control the supply of surplus organs to countries in need. The EU Health Minister, Markos Kyprianou commented: "Organ donations save lives. A European organ donor card, and common EU standards on the quality and safety of organ donations and transplants, could secure a sufficient and safe supply or organs." An opinion poll carried out for the European Commission in late 2006 found that 81% of EU citizens "support the use of organ donor cards" but that only 12% actually carry one. It also found that 56% of Europeans are willing to donate one of their organs after they die. The Netherlands, Sweden and Ireland had the highest take-up of donor cards, and support for the idea of donating an organ was highest in Sweden (81%), and lowest in Romania (27%). Use of donor cards was found to be extremely limited in member states which have joined the EU since 2004. In Britain nearly 9 out of 10 support the idea of carrying a national donor card, but only 1 in 4 people actually carries one. Britain also has one of the highest family refusal rates in the EU, with 42 per cent of relatives blocking organ removal. Commenting on these figures, John Oliver, of UK Transplant said: “Britain’s high relative refusal rate is the single biggest barrier to more lives being saved. Four out of ten people identified as suitable donors do not go on to donate because their relatives refuse. One of the main reasons is because the family, at a traumatic time, say they have never discussed it.”
According to the The British Medical Association, the EU proposals do not go far enough: “We would welcome any attempt to create public debate about the problem of organ shortages but we would prefer to see an opt-out system or presumed consent as part of a package of measures to improve the success of organ donation.” Organ Donation Saves Lives. You can sign up to the NHS Organ Donor Register by clicking here
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