Organ donor plan for EU

THE generosity of an Irish family who donated the organs of their 30-year-old son helped to highlight the need for an EU-wide organ donor system in the European Parliament.

James Sullivan worked as an assistant to MEP Mairead McGuinness but died following a tragic accident in Brussels earlier this year.

“On the day of his accident, he had a conversation in the office on the subject of organ donation and said that he would be prepared to donate his organs in the event of his death. It was a hypothetical conversation. Sadly within hours James had an accident, which left him on life support, and two days later he passed away.

“It is fitting that in his death, James gave life to others as his organs were donated with the express wishes of his grieving parents, Tom and Edna,” Ms McGuinness said.

MEPs agreed to produce a European donor card and set up a EU-wide hotline in a bid to overcome the shortages of organ donors.

There are almost 40,000 people on waiting lists in western Europe, and the list is growing faster than the number of donors. Every day at least ten patients die waiting for a transplant.

In Ireland there are more than 600 people who desperately need a kidney, liver, lung or heart transplant. But last year there were less transplants and fewer donors than the previous year and all other countries are experiencing similar problems.

This shortage, and increased demand for organs, is resulting in organ trafficking by criminal gangs who remove organs from people in developing countries, and sell them in the EU.

Jim Higgins, MEP, said the parliament was willing to deal with all aspects of the issue. “The European donor card especially should contribute to developing a trans-national system to help resolve the organ shortages and organ trafficking.”

This would be particularly useful given than 56% of Europeans said they would be willing to donate their organs but only 12% carry a donor card.

MEPs agreed that organ donation has to remain non-commercial, that people should not be paid for donations and health insurance companies should be banned from funding “transplant tourism” where patients buy organs illegally.