Number of organ donors in Saxony on the rise again

In Saxony, the number of organ donors and transplants is on the rise again. According to the German Organ Transplantation Foundation (DSO), 66 people across the state donated one or more organs after their death last year, five more than in 2022. At the end of April, 372 people were waiting for a transplant, which in many cases is life-saving.

On this year's Organ Donation Day (1 June), the Saxon State Medical Association renewed its call for the introduction of an opt-out solution. "We need to provide more information about organ donation so that even more people actively make a decision and record it in writing," said President Erik Bodendieck, referring to the declining number of donors despite all efforts. According to a survey conducted by the Federal Centre for Health Education, 84 percent of people have a positive attitude towards organ and tissue donation - but only 44 percent have recorded their decision in writing.

According to DSO statistics, a total of 386 organs are currently needed in Bavaria. With 263 patients, the waiting list for kidneys is the longest. 50 people need a liver, 36 a heart, 20 a pancreas and 17 a lung. The number of organs donated has been declining since 2020. In 2023, 133 transplants were carried out, 12 more than in the previous year. In 2019, however, the number was much higher at 181, but by 2022 it had fallen to 121.

In the first four months of 2024, 26 organ donors were recorded, 3 more than in the same period last year. By the end of April, 58 organs had been donated, 17 fewer than in the same period in 2023, although 4 more transplants were performed (46). The number of donated organs has been decreasing since 2020; in the following year, there were 185, 42 fewer.

Life-saving organ donations are only permitted in Germany with explicit consent. In order to encourage more citizens to make a concrete decision about donation after their own death, more information is being provided. Every year since 1963, Organ Donation Day has been held on the first Saturday in June to commemorate all organ donors, thank their relatives - and promote organ donation.