Germany launches online organ donation register

The German government on Monday launched a central online register for organ donation in an effort to help thousands of people waiting for transplants.

In the digital register, people aged 16 and over can enter whether or not they wish to donate organs after their death. Currently there are 8,400 people on an organ waiting list, Health Minister Karl Lauterbach said.

He spoke of an important prerequisite for more organ donations. At the same time, however, he again argued in favour of a more fundamental reform, according to which people are automatically considered donors as long as they do not object.

Currently, organ donations in Germany are only permitted with explicit consent.

By Monday morning, 5,500 potential donors had already registered, according to the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices, which operates the portal.

By September 30, it will also be possible to register declarations directly via health insurance apps. The information is voluntary, free of charge and can be changed and deleted. Declarations on paper, for example via organ donor cards, are still possible.

Hospitals that remove organs will be able to search for and retrieve declarations stored in the register starting July 1. Lauterbach said the new portal would enable doctors to obtain certainty about potential donors. Relatives would also be relieved, he said.

Still, Lauterbach favours the so-called "opt-out" solution in which people actively have to opt out of being an organ donor and if not, are considered as such.

"I believe that we cannot solve this problem without the opt-out solution."