70 pc willing to donate organ

30 May 2007

BRUSSELS – More than 70 percent of Belgians are willing to donate an organ when they die, but only 3 percent of Belgians carry organ donor cards.

This has emerged from a survey published by the European Commission on Wednesday. The Commission wants to introduce a European donor card.

The Commission presented the results today in the midst of all the commotion about a controversial Dutch reality show to be aired on Friday in which a terminally ill woman will choose the recipient for her kidney.

The EU’s survey showed that 56 percent of EU citizens are willing to donate an organ. That percentage is even higher – 77 percent – among respondents who had discussed the matter with their relatives. Only 12 percent of all EU citizens carry a donor card however.

The European Commissioner for Health Markos Kyprianou is therefore arguing for the introduction of a European donor card and EU-wide minimum standards for the quality and safety of donation. A European approach will help attract more donors, Kyprianou says.

According to the Commission, ten people die in the EU each day while waiting for a transplant. Some 40,000 Europeans are currently on a waiting list.

Subject: Belgian news