For Swisstransplant, the Swiss national foundation in charge of organ donation and transplantation, 2015 was “the best year for organ donations in Switzerland”: 143 people who died donated their organs in 2015 (i.e. 17.4 donors per million inhabitants), compared to 117 in 2014 (i.e. 14.4 donors per million inhabitants).
Switzerland uses a consent model in the broadest sense of the term (the organs can only be collected with a donor’s consent or, if no consent was given when the person was alive, with the consent of relatives), rather than the presumed consent model adopted in many neighbouring countries.
In figures:
· This year, the number of transplanted organs from deceased donors was 471. This 17% increase is primarily due to the 127 brain-dead donors.
· 103 live donors can be added to the 143 deceased donors.
· In 2015, 552 patients benefited from a transplant, i.e. 10% more than in 2014.
· Although the waiting list is getting longer: 1,384 patients waiting for a transplant in 2015 compared to 1,370 in 2014, the constant growth witnessed in recent years is slowing down.
· In terms of patients who died whilst waiting for a transplant: 65 died compared to 61 the year before. This is essentially due to the fact that, “Over time, the state of health of some patients on the waiting list deteriorates to such an extent that transplantation is no longer feasible,” explained PD Dr. Franz Immer, Director of Swisstransplant.
Based on an action plan set out in 2013, the Swiss Confederation is expecting 20 donors per million inhabitants between now and 2018.
Swissinfo.ch (20/01/2016)