HealthManagement, Volume 8 - Issue 4, 2008
On 22 April, the European Parliament adopted a report on the Commission's proposals for EU action on organ donation.The intitiative aims to improve cooperation between member states on the issue and make recommendations on the way forward.Reducing the organ and donor shortage is “the main challenge that EU Member States face with regard to organ transplantation”, found MEPs. They proposed a wide range of measures, including a European donor card, to tackle problems like organ shortage, transplantation risks and organ trafficking.
The European Parliament stressed that organ donation must stay “strictly non-commercial” and should be made altruistically and voluntarily, ruling out payments between donors and recipients.
Proposing the introduction of a European donor card, complementary to existing national systems, MEPs also noted that those who are not suitable donors should be encouraged to carry a card to that effect as well in order to facilitate a swift identification of organs.Additionally, Member States should make it possible to appoint a legal representative who can decide on donation after one's death, states the report.
Finally, MEPs recognised that it is “vitally important to improve the quality and safety of organ donation and transplantation” to reduce transplant risks.
Hence, the House looks forward to the Commission’s proposal for a directive setting requirements to assure the quality and safety for organ donation across the EU.
