Last week, the European Parliament Environment and Public Health Committee approved common European rules on organ transplants, which should make transplants easier, faster and safer.
The creation of a European area of organ transplants, with harmonised quality assurance systems, improved cooperation between member states and higher number of donors through specific campaigns and administrative procedures could make a difference to organ transplants in the EU.
The objective is to have more organs for more patients,” explained Miroslav Mikoláik, Parliament’s rapporteur on the subject. “This includes more cooperation between member states.” Currently many states are excluded from the two trans-European transplant organisations, yet “there are organs, of good quality with good traceability” in all countries, he said.
In order to guarantee the quality and safety of organs, the EU directive examined by the Parliament foresees each member state to have a National Authority enforcing a National Quality Programme. The proposal envisages public or non-profit private National Authorities. Their role will be to enforce, via the National Quality Programme, the quality and safety of organs, ensuring that all correct procedures and safeguards are followed by all organisations or companies involved, from the identification of the donor and organ harvesting to the actual transplantation.
In parallel to the directive, a 10-point action plan for 2009-2015 has been proposed to improve the quality and safety of organs, increase organ availability and make transplant procedures more efficient and accessible. Actions include the exchange of information and best practices to help countries with low organ availability improve their donor rates, the appointment of “Transplant Donor Coordinators” in hospitals and enhancing public awareness.
As a result of the currently limiting options for organ transplants phenomena such as organ trafficking occur. MEPs said that in order to combat organ trafficking there should be no financial rewards for organ donation, with the exception of defraying the costs of live donors, who in turn should “in principle” only be allowed to donate to close relatives and in any case act as a last resort in case no organ is found.
Parliament is scheduled to vote on the proposals on 18 May.
