Demand for organ transplantation is increasing all over the world, but there are not enough organs available to meet the need. This shortage of organs is now the limiting factor in treating many patients with chronic organ failure and has led to high numbers of patients on waiting lists.
On average in 2021, 36 000 patients receive a transplant and 41 000 new patients are registered on waiting lists in the member states of the Council of Europe. That’s nearly five new patients added to a transplant waiting list every hour.
Thousands of patients on waiting lists. A chronic shortage of organs, tissues and cells. The result: in 2021, an average of 20 patients died every day while waiting for an organ transplant in Europe.
Sponsored by the European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines and HealthCare (EDQM) of the Council of Europe in a different country every year since 1996, the European Day for Organ Donation and Transplantation (EODD) aims to raise public awareness of the need for organ, tissue and cell donation and promote the principle of voluntary and non-remunerated donation.
Organ, tissue and cell transplantation is one of the great medical success stories of modern times, offering major therapeutic benefits and improvements to quality of life. It is also, in many cases, the only treatment capable of restoring essential functions, such as sight, or of saving patients suffering from end-stage organ failure. Demand for transplantable organs, tissues and cells still far exceeds supply, however, with important consequences for health. The key figures from Newsletter Transplant, the annual worldwide survey on transplantation, make clear just how the dire the situation is for thousands of patients who suffer in silence.
The 2022 Edition of the EODD was hosted by Poland on 8 October 2022. More information on the activities can be found on www.eodd2022.eu
Discover what #influencersforlife really means, through the stories of Anna, George, Daniel and Julia:
Say yes to organ, tissue and cell donation!
The European Day for Organ Donation and Transplantation (EODD) aims to stimulate dialogue and encourage European citizens to say yes to organ, tissue and cell donation.
LET'S TALK ABOUT ORGAN, TISSUE AND CELL DONATION!
If you would like to save or improve the lives of many others even after your demise, speak to your relatives and friends about your personal choice concerning organ donation. You may also encourage them to say yes to organ donation!
Spread the message in favour of organ, tissue and cell donation!
Share and support EODD on social media: #influencersforlife
Donate during your lifetime as well!
Consider helping others during your lifetime by registering to donate your stem cells, found in your bone marrow, or peripheral blood, which can be used for the treatment of blood disorders and immune diseases.
When a baby is born, you can donate the umbilical cord blood, which is also rich in stem cells, and/or the placenta.
You may also consider helping others to fulfil their dream of becoming parents by donating oocytes (women) or sperm (men).
Say yes to organ, tissue and cell donation!
Find out all about donation and transplantation in your country and talk about your choice with your family, friends and colleagues! Let's Talk about it!
Useful freely available guidance and information for health professionals
Guide to the quality and safety of organs for transplantation - 8th edition (November 2018)
Transplant medicine and transplantation have progressed in recent decades in a way that nobody could have imagined before, yet demand for transplantable organs still far exceeds supply – with important consequences for health. The transplantation of organs offers major therapeutic benefits and improvements to quality of life and is, in many cases, the only life-saving treatment for end-stage organ failure. As with all substances of human origin, transplantation of human organs entails a risk of disease transmission. Comprehensive quality systems and appropriate donor screening and selection must therefore be in place to guarantee the best possible transplantation outcomes. The Guide to the quality and safety of organs for transplantation (Organ Guide) contributes to meeting this need.
The 8th Edition of the Organ Guide collates state-of-the-art information to provide an indispensable overview of the most recent advancements in the field and technical guidance to ensure the safety and quality of human organs intended for transplantation, with the ultimate goal of improving successful and safe organ transplantation rates. Easy access to this information is essential for all stakeholders concerned – professionals involved in identifying possible organ donors, co-ordinators managing living or deceased donation pathways, those responsible for the allocation and clinical use of human organs, quality managers within the process, and health authorities responsible for donation and transplantation programmes.
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the EDQM has organised several webinars to discuss experiences, respond to questions on the impact of COVID-19 on tissue donation and transplantation and provide the best available scientific data to support professionals worldwide and increase the safety of donated tissues and minimise risks for staff working in donation centres and tissue establishments.
Carefully prepared by the European Committee on Organ Transplantation (CD-P-TO), these booklets are aimed at helping families, donors and parents, and provide independent and scientifically grounded information.
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Presentations
Learn more by downloading the Tissues and cells guide information leaflet (PDF).
