Record number of people donated their organs after death last year

The number of people who donated their organs after death rose to 285 in 2022. According to the Dutch Transplantation Foundation (NTS), that is the highest number ever. As a result, significantly more organ transplants were performed, and the numbers are back to pre-coronavirus levels.

In 2020, there was a significant drop in organ donations and transplants. But last year, the number of transplants jumped to 860.

Director Bernadette Haase is pleased with the increase. “We greatly appreciate the choice of donors and their loved ones to donate their organs. As a result, so many life-saving transplantations can be done.” According to Haase, the quality of donated organs has improved thanks to innovations, so even more patients could be helped.

Despite the high transplant numbers, the waiting list for a kidney transplant became somewhat longer. According to the NTS, that is due to a high influx of people needing a kidney. Looking at all donor patients, people waiting for a kidney make up the largest group. A total of 1,247 people are waiting for an organ.

At the start of this year, 923 people were on the waiting list for a kidney, according to the Kidney Foundation. “We still see people die while waiting for a kidney, or they can no longer go through transplant surgery due to their condition deteriorating,” said Mariette Kraayvanger of the Kidney Foundation.

Whether the increase in donors is related to the new donor law remains to be seen. The law was amended in 2020 so that everyone from the age of 18 is automatically registered as a donor unless they explicitly indicate that they don’t want to be one. The Ministry of Public Health will evaluate the law at the end of this year.