Eurotransplant
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In the world of organ donation and transplantation, collaboration is invaluable. Not only within the borders of our country, but also across international borders. Belgium has committed itself to cooperating closely with Eurotransplant, an international non-profit organisation that streamlines communication between donor hospitals and transplant centres. This organisation facilitates the allocation and exchange of donor organs between the 8 participating countries. Patients waiting for an organ transplant are registered in a central Eurotransplant database. As soon as a donor becomes available, his/her characteristics are registered in the same database. A computer program then searches for a possible match for each organ made available. International and national regulations regarding organ donation are respected every time an organ is allocated. International cooperation increases the likelihood of a positive match between a donor patient and a patient on the transplant waiting list. The Eurotransplant region, which includes Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, and Hungary, has a population of more than 130 million. This broad base offers considerable potential for organ donation, with the number of transplants depending, of course, on the available supply from donors.
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Learn more? https://www.eurotransplant.org/
Organ donation
Per million inhabitants, the number of donor patients who donated at least 1 organ ranges from 9 to 31 in the countries that form part of the Eurotransplant network.
Number of donors per million inhabitants in Eurotransplant member countries in 2024
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“With 31 people per million inhabitants donating at least one organ, Belgium has the highest number of donors of all eight countries that are members of the Eurotransplant network.”
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Want to register your choice regarding organ donation? Klikvoororgaandonatie.be
Amongst the countries in the Eurotransplant network, Belgium has the highest number of donors per million inhabitants. However, Spain – which is not part of Eurotransplant – is the leader in Europe, with 47 donors per million population having donated an organ in 2022.[1]
Belgium has a high number of donors thanks to the existing legal framework and to the efforts of hospitals and the government. The legislation, which includes an opting-out system, is such that the population is automatically considered a donor, unless a person objects. This contrasts with the opting-in system used by some other countries, which requires explicit consent from individuals or their families.
Regardless of the opting-out system in Belgium, there is a national registry in which every citizen can register their choice to donate organs. In 2024, there were 709,565 registrations in this registry. 70% of the registrations are positive registrations in which the patient indicates that they are making their organs available for donation. The number of registrations has more than doubled since 2010 and the major share of that increase relates to the number of positive registrations (+374%) compared to the number of negative registrations (+12%). If a patient does not record his/her wishes in the registry, the question as to whether organs can be donated is put to the immediate family.
Evolution of the number of registrations in the national register
Organ transplantation
With 33 transplant programmes for various organs in 8 transplant centres across the country, including 7 university hospitals and 1 heart transplant hospital, Belgium has built an advanced infrastructure for organ donation and transplantation. These centres work closely with about 100 hospitals around the country, in which local medical and nursing donor coordinators have been appointed. These coordinators play a crucial role in detecting potential donors and ensuring a streamlined donation process.
Effective cooperation between transplant centres and hospitals has not only increased the number of donors, but has also generated international interest. Other countries are showing interest in the Belgian model of cooperation and coordination, which clearly illustrates that a joint effort on a national and international level is essential in order to improve organ donation and transplantation projects worldwide.
In the last 10 years, the annual number of organ donations by Belgian patients has increased from 315 to 371 (+18%).
Evolution in the number of deceased donors who donated at least 1 organ in Belgium
In 2024, 1,082 transplants were performed in Belgium. Half of the transplants were kidney transplants and one-third were liver transplants.
Organ transplantation waiting list
| There were 1,470 people on the organ transplant waiting list in Belgium in 2024. That number has increased 14% since 2015. |
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Evolution in the number of active patients on the organ transplant waiting list in Belgium
Number of people on the waiting list by organ type in 2024
Learn more? https://www.health.belgium.be/en/health/taking-care-yourself/begin-and-end-life/organ-donation
[1] Source: Council of Europe Organización Nacional de Trasplantes (2023). International figures on donation and transplantation 2022. Newsletter transplant, EDQM, 28 (2023). Consulted at https://www.transplant-observatory.org/summary/