About 88% want organ transplants, only 26% willing to donate

While 88 percent of Dutch people saying they want an organ transplant should they need one, only 26 percent say they are willing to donate their own organs, the Dutch Transplant Foundation stated on Friday. The organization is calling on citizens to step up and join the organ donation registry in light of the survey results. With this week being Donor Week, the foundation hopes that a moment to reflect on this reality will convince more people to sign up. Despite some 20 million euros spent on recruitment campaigns over the past years, the foundation has seen disappointing results, with as many as nine million people not registered as donors. They say food and clothes brought to refugees is “a nice thought”, but it is incomprehensible that people are not willing to fill out a form to save a life. Last year saw 134 deaths due to lack of organs, and with 1,050 people currently on the list, the future is not looking bright for several transplant candidates. Choices over who to help first in the event of an accident are leaning towards organ donors as their care may save more than just one life. Concerns have been raised that if nothing changes, recipients on the list could be seeking illegal black market organ donation, or even cross-border treatment that may include dealings with the criminal underworld.