Organ donations increasing but still insufficient

The number of organ donations per one million residents in Switzerland rose from 13.7 in 2013 to 17.2 last year Keystone

A record number of organs from deceased donors were transplanted in Switzerland in 2017, but the country is set to miss its target this year, says the national transplant foundation.

The Federal Health OfficeExternal link said 145 people had agreed to provide one or several organs upon their death. In addition, 137 live donors had given a kidney or part of their liver.

In total, 440 patients were able to benefit in 2017, according to a statement published on Monday.

Officials say the increase is the result of an awareness campaign launched in 2013, when the number of donations from dead people stood at 110. Apart from a setback in 2016, the figures have steadily improved.

The number of patients waiting to be given an organ has remained unchanged. At the end of last year, 1,478 patients were on the transplant waiting list.

swisstransplantExternal link, the national foundation for organ transplants and donations, says Switzerland is unlikely to reach the target of 20 donors per million residents by the end of this year.

The organisation also welcomed a people’s initiative, launched last October, aimed at promoting organ donations. If successful in a nationwide vote, organ donations would be based on presumed consent, reversing the current “opt-in” policy, which requires explicit consent by potential donors.