320,000 people determine their lives for organ donation - what now?

320,000 people determine their lives for organ donation - what now?

Around 320,000 people in Germany have taken an important step towards organ donation: They have held their willingness to have organs donated after their death in a central online register. According to current information, 83.3 percent of the registered people fully agree that organs can be removed. But there are also other views: 7.9 percent documented an objection to organ donation, while 6.2 percent want to exclude certain organs from donation. There are also people who have named others as decision -makers - in 1.7 percent of cases. Since then, the digital register has proven to be a practical contact point for many, especially since it went online on March 18, 2024.

But what does that mean specifically? More than 280,100 explanations have already been submitted, and from these alone came from digital registration over the portal in 194,800 from digital registration. This is gratifying, considering that over 90 percent of the clinics that remove organs are now connected to the register. This is not only a profit for transparency, but could also lead to potential donors to be identified faster. Radio Köln reports that 2,639 searches in the register have already been carried out by the end of 2024.

The importance of the organ donation card

A decisive aspect of organ donation is the organ donation card, a legally binding document that has existed for around 50 years. This document enables citizens to either decide for or against an organ and tissue donation. According to the German Foundation Organ Transplantation, certain organs can be excluded and changes to the ID card are possible at any time. In any case, relatives should be informed about the decision on organ donation, since they will be used for decision in the event of an incident without a written expression of will. It is all the more important that citizens always update their information and hold their actions in an organ donation card or directly in the digital register. dSo.de adds that the organ donation card has played a central role in relieving relatives in recent decades.

numbers and facts for organ donation

There are some important figures for organ donation that illustrate the urgency of the topic. In 2024, 953 people released organs, which represents a slight decline compared to 2023 than there were 965 donations. This is particularly worrying in a country where almost 8,300 people were on waiting lists for organ donation at the end of 2024. organzuz-info.de emphasizes how important it is to sharpen awareness of organ donation and, as is necessary, to build on the measures and legal basics already taken to improve the situation.

Overall, it can be seen that the issue of organ donation is of high relevance. There is still a lot to do to increase the number of organ donors. The digital recording of the willingness to donate is a view of a future in which more people can pull together - because in the end it is the willingness of the citizens that are crucial.