On 24 June 2015, Minister of Health Lydia Mutsch met with representatives of Luxembourg-Transplant to discuss the prevailing shortage of organ donors in the country.
Luxembourg-Transplant explained that the understanding shown by people of the vital necessity of organ donation was at odds with the number of people who in fact donate their organs. The result is a long waiting list of people in need of a transplant and subsequent deaths caused by the shortage in organ availability.
Luxembourg in fact trails behind the rest of Europe regarding organ donation, with only 4-5 compatible donors a year. Luxembourg-Transplant therefore aims to encourage organ donation for transplantation purposes. According to the President of Luxembourg-Transplant, Dr. Claude Braun, family members of the deceased very often refuse to allow their organs to be donated due to a lack of information and understanding of the process.
Minister Lydia Mutsch stressed the importance she attaches to saving lives through donation. Mutsch went on to state that she believes the Electronic Health Record (EHR) could be a useful instrument in furthering the campaign, as a means of electronically recording the personal wish of the patient regarding organ donation.
The Minister of Health also announced plans for the official recognition of Luxembourg-Transplant as the national coordinating body in the field of organ donation. With the passing of the new law, Luxembourg-Transplant hope to have access to the medical data of patients on transplant waiting lists. This communication and transmission of information between hospitals and stakeholders (e.g. physicians in private practice) has been said to potentially improve the current situation.
Photo By Ministry of Health (L-R: Dr Gérard Scharll, Directorate of Health ; Dr Pascal Stammet, Secretary of Luxembourg-Transplant ; Lydia Mutsch, Minister of Health ; Dr Claude Braun, President of Luxembourg-Transplant ; Dr Martine Ferring, Vice President of Luxembourg-Transplant)
