German citizens aged 16 and over – new central organ donation register starts online
picture alliance/Soeren Stache
Audio: Antenna Brandenburg | 18.03.2023 | Anja Braun Image: picture alliance/Soeren Stache
More than 800 people from Berlin and Brandenburg are waiting for a donor organ. In order to increase the number of organ donors and to provide more clarity – including to relatives – about what potential donors want, a register is now being launched.
- New organ donation register starts work in March
- Your own will can be deposited in a legally secure, voluntary and free of charge manner
- 450 people from Berlin and 351 from Brandenburg are waiting for an organ
- Register will start gradually and will be expanded from summer onwards
From March 18th, every German citizen aged 16 and over can legally deposit their wish to donate organs and tissue online, voluntarily and free of charge, from home in the central organ donation register. The prerequisite is that he or she has an identity card with online functionality and a PIN (eID).
This is possible for people aged 16 and over. An objection to a donation can be made as early as the age of 14. Once a decision has been filed, it can be changed and revoked at any time.
The portal was set up www.organspende-register.de from the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices. The data should be stored on a server in Germany.
In view of the ongoing shortage of donor organs, Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) also called for further legal measures.
The wishes of potential donors are deposited in writing
Politicians and the healthcare system hope that this will provide more clarity on the question of whether citizens are for or against organ donation. Transplant doctors hope that discussions with relatives about organ donation will be easier if the wishes of the potential donor are recorded in writing. Ultimately, this should also increase the number of organ donors.
In Germany, the “extended consent solution” currently applies, and this is how it should remain with the new register. For the removal of organs after a person’s brain death, the active consent of the person concerned during their lifetime, the consent of a close relative or a representative is required.
“Milestone for digitalization”
Karl Lauterbach praised the start of the online register as a “milestone for digitalization”. “The relatives are relieved, but so are the doctors.” In the event of a medical emergency, hospitals could now be certain about their willingness to donate “by looking at the organ donation register”.
There is potentially a great willingness to donate organs – the hurdle for this just needs to be lowered, said the minister. “Many people want to donate, but never become donors.” This could be changed through a contradiction solution. Such a solution would mean that basically every person in Germany would be legally declared an organ donor – and would have to actively object to this if they do not agree to this.
The SPD politician pointed out that the new online register could be further developed in the event that an objection solution was introduced. “The register is good preparatory work for resolving the objection,” he said. In the future, the register could be used as a platform for all those who want to document that they are not prepared to donate an organ.
More than 800 people from Berlin and Brandenburg are waiting for organs
Around 8,400 people in Germany are currently waiting for a new organ. According to preliminary figures from the German Organ Donation Foundation (DSO), these include 450 from Berlin and 351 people from Brandenburg (as of December 31, 2023).
In an international comparison, Germany is at the bottom of the table when it comes to the number of organ donors. The German Organ Transplantation Foundation recorded a total of 965 donors in 2023. According to the DSO, these include 53 in Berlin and 25 from Brandenburg. 2,985 donated organs were implanted in 45 transplant centers nationwide.
For comparison: in Spain in 2023, according to the “German Medical Journal” 5,861 organ transplants were carried out. France and Italy are also well ahead of Germany. In the countries mentioned, unlike in Germany, the “contradiction solution” applies. Anyone who does not object before their death is automatically a potential organ donor.
There seems to be a willingness to donate organs in Germany. Sandra Loder, managing director of the German Organ Donation Foundation for the North-East region, says: “If we look at the survey figures, it is the case that basically over 80 percent of people in Germany have a positive attitude towards organ donation and over 40 percent say that they have documented their decision.” However, only 15 percent of people currently have a documented decision. “And for us as the coordination office for organ donation, this is a paradox that needs to be eliminated. Because if people have a positive attitude towards it, then they should also document it and ideally now in the new organ donation register,” Loder continued.
Stage two is planned for July 2024
The new organ donation register in Germany is starting in several stages. Starting in March, step one is to enter potential organ donors’ own intentions in the register. In a second step, it is planned that clinics that remove organs will be able to search for and retrieve declarations stored in the register.
By July 1st, all collection hospitals must be connected to the register and have named persons authorized to access the data. Insured persons should then have another opportunity to access the register by September 30, 2024 at the latest.
In order to enable legally secure documentation for people without internet access or a computer, the organ donor card will also remain valid in the future.
Transition period until January 2025
In order to be sure that the wishes of a donor are reliably taken into account in an emergency, even during the transition period until January 2025, the personal decision to donate organs and tissues should also be documented in writing (for example in an organ donor card or a living will). (organspende-register.de)
The next of kin should also be informed about the decision and its documentation. This creates additional clarity and security. The organ donor card remains valid. Organ donation cards, living wills or other written declarations can still be used in addition to the organ donation register to document the decision. If there are several documents, the most recent one always applies.
Broadcast: Antenne Brandenburg, March 18, 2024, 5:30 a.m