Since the first successful kidney transplant in the 1950s, organ donation has given many patients a new lease on life. In the US alone, over 100,000 people are currently waiting for an organ donation, with a new person being added to the list every ten minutes. However, the biggest barrier for many of those on the organ transplant list is not a lack of medical technology, but rather a lack of available organs.
According to statistics compiled by the U.S. Department of Health’s Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN), an estimated 18 people die every die while waiting for organ donations. Furthermore, because a patient’s health typically declines when there is a delay in receiving a needed organ, even those that do receive organ donations typically face worse outcomes due to the delay in their transplants.
The United States relies on volunteers to sign up and become organ donors. And while 90% of Americans support organ donation, only 30% have taken the required steps to become a donor. In an effort to increase the rate of organ donations, other countries, like Austria and Spain, have tried an opt-out approach where people are automatically considered donors unless they opt out of the process. However, doctors have faced resistance from family members opposed to donating their deceased relative’s organs, so the opt-out approach hasn’t led to a drastic increase in overall organ donations.
A recent blog published by The New York Times highlights a completely different approach taken by the Israeli government that took a multi-dimensional approach to increasing organ donations. The government launched a public awareness campaign that addressed some of the primary barriers to organ donation. In addition, the government initiated a new law that would give priority to patients who were organ donors themselves. Before Israel’s campaign, about 3,000 to 5,000 organ donation cards were turned in each month; however, during the ten week period of the campaign over 70,000 Israelis registered as organ donors leading to a 60% increase in available organs.
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