Organ and Tissue Donation on National Donor Day

2023-06-07 08:34:31

The first Wednesday of June is commemorated in Spain the National Organ and Tissue Donor Day, this year, with the motto “I can be the piece that others need”

The National Organ and Tissue Donor Day is organized by the Union of Solid Organ Transplant Recipients, with the support of the National Transplant Organization (ONT), an example donation of solidarity.

The Solid Organ Transplantation Union (UTxS) presents this year a new logo that symbolizes in different colors the representative organs of the four patient entities that form it:

• The National Federation for the fight against Kidney Diseases (ALCER).

• The Spanish Federation of Heart Transplants (FETCO).

• The National Federation of Patients and Liver Transplant Patients (FNETH).

• The Spanish Federation of Cystic Fibrosis (FEFQ).

The objective of this day, its promoters point out, is to pay tribute to donors and family members, in addition to raising awareness in society about the importance of organ donation for people who are waiting for a transplant and need that piece that Complete your puzzle to be able to continue living.

Organ and Tissue Donation: some facts

According to data from the ONT, in the first quarter of 2023 there has been a significant increase compared to 2022 in donation and transplant activity, with 505 people who donated their organs after dying in the first 74 days of this year, a 23 % more than in the same period of 2022.

Added to them are the 78 people who have donated a kidney or part of their liver while they were alive, a figure that grows by 37% compared to the previous year, placing us at figures similar to 2019 (before the pandemic), when all-time highs were recorded. .

One of the reasons for this growth – points out the Solid Organ Transplantation Union – is the increase in asystole donation, which until March 15, 2023 has experienced a growth of 24% compared to the same period of the previous year.

This type of donation has gone from being exclusively renal to becoming multi-organ, thanks to the generalization of the preservation procedure based on extracorporeal circulation devices (ECMO).

Spain: 30 consecutive years at the forefront of world donation

Spain has been at the forefront of organ donation and transplantation for more than 30 consecutive years, with 15 daily transplants, which means a rate of 113 per million population (pmp) in 2022 and an average of 7 daily donors, with a rate of 46.3 deceased donors pmp, figures much higher than those reached by the rest of the world’s countries.

The worldwide prestige of the Spanish model, continues the Union of Solid Organ Transplant Recipients, is due to two factors: the National Donation and Transplant Program of the ONT together with the Autonomous Communities, and the solidarity of donors and families.

“The gesture of the donation is a reflection of the society that we are. Every year, eight out of 10 families confirm the desire of their loved one to be an organ donor, at a time as difficult as that of their death”, highlights the director of the ONTDr. Beatriz Domínguez-Gil.

For the head of the ONT, this situation “is an example of citizen solidarity that, together with the great work of health professionals, is today the object of tribute and recognition. We join the motto of the UTxS; remember that you can be the piece that can give life to another”.

Archive image of Beatriz Domínguez-Gil during an interview with EFE/Angel Díaz

The heads of the federations speak

In this line, the president of ALCER, Daniel Gallego, insists: “There is no doubt that we can all be the piece that others need to save or improve their quality of life, our solidarity can mean a before and after in the lives of other people ”.

“The generosity of the donors and their families – underlines the president of the FEFQ, Juan Da Silva – is what allows many people to continue living each year, in addition to considerably improving their quality of life”.

The president of FETCO, María Dolores Martínez, remarks: “A yes to donation is the most supportive and altruistic act that we can offer to others, it is giving away the piece that other people need to live, and as a society we have to be aware of its importance”.

“This day invites us to reflect on the generosity and altruistic act of donating our organs after passing away, being able to change the lives of other people. We can all make a difference and leave a lasting legacy by donating our organs and tissues. These are new opportunities for those who are on the waiting list for a transplant”, says the president of FNETH, Eva Pérez Bech.

Illustrative poster of Organ and Tissue Donation / Provided by the Solid Organ Transplantation Union