Burgenland shines green: signs of organ donation and solidarity!

Burgenland shines green: signs of organ donation and solidarity!

Next Sunday, June 8th, the country house in Eisenstadt will illuminate in a symbolic green. This action is part of the nationwide "Green Ribbon Day", which draws attention to the important topic of organ donation. This not only shows solidarity with those who are waiting for a transplant, but also want to strengthen awareness of registration as organ donors. [Meinverzirk] reports that this campaign is organized in close cooperation with the Burgenland self-help group of the Austrian Association of Heart and Lung Transplanted.

This association, which was founded in 1987 and now has over 400 members, plays a central role in the support of transplanted and their relatives. In Burgenland there is even a local self -help group with around 25 members who meet every month in Oberpullendorf to exchange experiences and get technical advice.

challenges and developments in organ donation

Unfortunately, an alarming trend shows: The number of organ donations in Austria has declined in recent years. In Burgenland in particular, there are increasing contradictions between relatives against transplants, which the situation also complicated. In Austria, an "opt-out" system applies, i.e. deceased people are automatically organ donor, unless they have contradicted during their lifetime. This is in contrast to many countries, such as Germany, where you have to actively register. [Tagesschau] informs that, for example, over 8,300 patients are currently waiting for a donor organ in Germany.

Using the example of Lena, a two -year -old patient from Regensburg, it becomes clear how urgently these organ donation is. She is connected to an art heart and her family desperately hopes for a suitable donor heart. The discussion about organ donation has also started driving in Germany. For example, Federal Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach (SPD) supports a solution to contradiction that could make it easier for organ donations if no objections are expressed.

the international comparison

In the European context, Germany is significantly after organ donation. [BPB] shows that the organ donor in Germany is only 11 per million inhabitants, while Spanish neighbors use an effective objection system with over 46 donors per million. In Austria, well-functioning structures in the organ donation and transplant system are crucial for high donations.

In 2018, around 10,000 patients were waiting for a donor organ in Germany and there were only 955 organ donors. The necessity of a reform is therefore unmistakable, and there are also more and more supporters of the resolution in the German Parliament, which is considered a possible solution to increase the willingness to donate.