Organ donation is critical and central to successfully replacing end-stage organ failure. A sad reality is that the shortage of organ donors is the most critical obstacle standing in the way of life-saving organ transplantation in many patients suffering from end-stage organ failure. 

The processes leading to donor identification, solicitation and execution of consent and organ procurement and allocation continue to dominate debates and efforts in the field of transplantation. A Bill moved by Opposition MP Ivan Bartolo earlier this year stimulated a discussion on the importance of encouraging more people to donate their organs after they die. 

This debate has now been rekindled with Health Minister Jo Etienne Abela proposing that organs could be retrieved when a patient has ‘circulatory death’, meaning that organs may be taken when a patient’s circulatory and respiratory functions have stopped and a physician pronounces death. This is a significant development that hopefully will make it easier to save lives thanks to the altruism of people who believe that, even after their death, they can contribute to helping others who cannot help themselves.

Of course, the delicate ethical, moral and legal issues involved in the organ donation debate must not be discarded. At present, those wishing to donate their organs need to ‘opt-in’ by registering to donate their organs for transplant once they die. 

Bartolo’s proposal to reverse the process, known as ‘opt-out’, so that anyone over 16 would be presumed to have given consent to donation organs met with resistance from certain sectors, including the Catholic Church. Hopefully, there will be consensus in our society on how best to encourage organ donation, which will enable the country to have the best processes to help those with terminal organ failure.

Health authorities and societal leaders must work together to raise awareness of the importance of organ donation as an enabler of more solidarity in the community. One of the first steps that must be taken is to inform the public through an educational campaign about the myths and realities involved in organ donation.

For instance, some still believe that if they agree to donate their organs, the hospital staff will not work as hard to save their lives. The reality is that when one goes to the hospital for treatment, the healthcare team tries to save one’s life, not someone else’s. 

Health authorities and societal leaders must work together to raise awareness of the importance of organ donation as an enabler of more solidarity in the community

Another myth is that many fear that they will not really be dead when physicians sign their death certificate. This is a popular topic in some media platforms. However, in reality, people who have agreed to organ donation are given more tests to make sure they are dead than are those who have opted not to donate organs. 

More older adults should also be informed on whether they can donate their organs after death. The prevailing medical opinion is that there is no standard cut-off date for donating organs. The decision to use your organs is based on the health of your organs, not age. Healthcare teams need to be trusted to decide at the time of death whether your organs can be transplanted.  

The power of prominent social media platforms, which reach hundreds of thousands of people, can increase awareness, provide education and dispel the fears linked to organ donation among the general population.    

It can be hard to think about dying. It can be even harder to think about donating organs. Still, sadly, many may never get the call saying that a donor organ has been found. Organ donors can give these people a second chance at life since donors save lives.