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The Spanish Medical Transplant System

Spain has Double the European Average and is the Model of the World

Apr 25, 2009 John Hoskison

The European Union has bought out a paper, Meeting the Organ Shortage, which recommends, if possible, the full implementation of the Spanish transplant system.

The Spanish transplant system is the model admired and imitated all over the world, with 34.2 donors per million. Recently Spain has broken its own record with Bernat Soria, the minister of health, welcoming the news that 3,945 transplants were performed in 2008. The report by the European Union highlights the success of the Spanish system

Spain has more than double the European average (16.8) and the results are even more spectacular when you consider that 44% of all actual donors are over 60 years of age.

The number of non-national donors has doubled over the last four years. Foreigners accounted for 9.1 per cent of all donations in 2008, with Europeans making up 47 per cent, Latin Americans 44 per cent, and African and Asians 4 per cent.

Bernat Soria has stated that the goal set down by the ministry for health and consumer affairs, has now been set at 40 donors per million.

Why is the Spanish System so Successful?

There are three levels of coordination in the Spanish transplant system: national, regional, and hospital level. The National and regional level form a committee and are responsible for all the technical decisions that need to be taken in a transplant. The hospital doctors are always on hand to advise people should they wish to donate a loved one’s organs.

In any one transplant there can be nearly 100 people involved, from the donor, to the person who receives the transplant. This is why in an operation, where time is of the essence, coordination is the difference between success and failure.

The cost of the transplant is paid by the health administration, and this also opens the possibility to smaller hospitals, who simply could not afford to pay for the infrastructure and equipment that is needed in theatres performing organ transplant procedures.

Kidney Transplants Top the Table

Last year in Spain, 1,577 donors made 3,945 transplants possible. Kidney transplants being the most common. There were marginal falls in the number of liver transplants down by four to 1,108, but this was due mainly to the incompatibility of the livers available for transplant. There were 292 heart transplants carried out in 2008.

The Difference Between Spain and the UK and Ireland

In Spain, there is no single form of a donor’s card, as there is in the UK or Ireland, but it is sufficient to let your next of kin know your intention to donate. You may also fill in your intention online and if you have a change of mind, simply rip up your card or let your next of kin know.

The copyright of the article The Spanish Medical Transplant System in General Medicine is owned by John Hoskison. Permission to republish The Spanish Medical Transplant System in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.