158 organ donors were accounted for at the end of 2018 by Swisstransplant, which corresponds to a new record. Despite these increasing figures, however, about 1400 people were still waiting for a new organ at the end of the year. The National Register of organ donation (direct inscription on www.registre-don-organes.ch) and the popular initiative "to save lives by promoting organ donation" are valuable tools to increase public awareness of the donation of organs. The municipality of Montreux is the first municipality in Switzerland to commit itself as a point of contact of the National Register of organ donation.
The 158 post-mortem donors correspond to an increase in donations of 10 per cent compared to 2017. This figure represents 126 brain-dead donors (DBD) and 32 brain-dead donors after cardiac arrest (DCD), a total of 18.6 organ donors per million inhabitants. The increase in the number of donors is explained, inter alia, by the good cooperation between the Swisstransplant Foundation and the emergency services and intensive care units. The "more organs for transplantation" Action plan, launched by the Confederation and the cantons, has probably also contributed to the increase in the number of donors. The training of medical personnel was thus improved by the "Blended Learning" training programme. The specific funding of organ and tissue donation specialists (fog's transcripts) in hospitals also ensures clearly defined processes and structures throughout Switzerland.
Evolution of the waiting list of organs
At the end of December 2018, 1412 patients appeared on the waiting list. Although this figure is lower than in 2017, a larger number of people than in 2013, 2014 or 2015 are currently awaiting an organ. Last year, 68 patients on this list died for lack of organs that could save their lives. The main reasons for this shortage of donations remain the absence of declarations of will and ignorance of the wishes of the deceased. "Despite the improvement of the processes in organ donation, 50 per cent of relatives do not know the wish of the deceased," says Franz Immer, director of the Swisstransplant Foundation. The organ donations are therefore refused at the end of 60 per cent of the interviews with the relatives. »
The National Organ Donation register
In order to simplify the documentation on the organ donation decision, Swisstransplant created an electronic alternative to the donor card in October 2018 by launching the National organ donation registry. On www.registre-don-organes.ch, all persons aged 16 years old, domiciled in Switzerland or in the Principality of Liechtenstein, may document in this register online their decision for or against a donation of organs. If a person dies in the hospital and if the question of a donation arises, the doctors involved can, after decision to interrupt the care, go through the national coordination of Swisstransplant to consult the entry in the register.
"At the end of December, more than 44 000 people had already registered in the National Organ donation registry," says Franz Immer. The register has found a strong resonance in Romandie, where more than 1 per cent of the population has registered in most cantons. In December a deceased person could be detected for the first time as a donor on the basis of his entry into the register.
About two thirds of the registry entries were made by persons aged 20 to 50 years. Public contact points in hospitals and communal administrations still need to simplify the registration process in the future and support those interested in creating an entry in the register. Montreux is the first city to have declared itself ready to serve as a pilot point of contact. "In our capacity as an innovative commune, we want to give our inhabitants the opportunity to register in a few steps in the National Register of organ donation," explains Laurent Wehrli, trustee of the commune of Montreux and national councillor.
Popular Initiative "To save lives by promoting organ donation"
In October 2017, the Young International Chamber (JCI) Riviera launched the popular initiative "to save lives by promoting organ donation". So far, approximately 140 000 signatures have been collected and will be handed over to the Federal chancellery in the spring of 2019.
The purpose of this initiative is to amend the Constitution to establish the model of presumed consent. In accordance with this modality, every person is presumed to be in favor of organ donation if he has not, in his lifetime, expressed against that gift or if the relatives do not know that the deceased has refused a donation of organs. All the countries of central Europe, with the exception of Germany, know this system. A public discussion in the context of a federal vote is essential to show the people how important the personal decision is. This decision is synonymous with safety, clarity and relief for the loved ones, explains Pierre-Yves Maillard, chairman of the Foundation board of Swisstransplant. The Foundation supports this initiative.
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