Belgium afflicted with donor shortage

24 May 2005

BRUSSELS – As many as 1,000 patients died during the last 10 years in Belgium when their chances of finding an organ donor ran out.

The figure was given by Health Minister Rudy Demotte in response to a question from Flemish Christian Democrat Hugo Vandenberghe.

Demotte admitted that between 10 to 20 percent of patients on the Belgian organ list would never live to under go their transplant because of a shortage of donors.

Most patients on the transplant list need a liver or lung transplant, he said.

Yet between 12 to 20 percent of the families of potential organ donors refuse to allow their relatives’ organs to be used to save lives.

That means some 250 potential donors are lost to the system, according to Demotte.

Since organ donors leave an average of 3.5 useable organs for medical needs, an extra 820 transplants don’t take place.

Subject: Belgian news