The Irish Donor Network (IDN) said it was concerned by a significant fall in organ donation and transplant rates in Ireland between 2019 and 2020.
In Ireland, solid organ transplants fell by 32.1% in 2020 compared to 2019, while deceased organ donations fell by 27.1%.
The largest declines in transplant volume were in lung (-58.2%), heart (-42%), liver (-44.9%) and kidney (-21.3%) transplant programs.
The decline puts Ireland in 18th place out of the 28 EU countries for overall organ transplants and 17th for deceased organ donations.
Expressing “deep concern” over this annual trend, the IDN called on the Indian government to take a series of steps to revive organ donation and transplantation, including a plan to bring India into the top 10 in the EU.
The group is calling on the Government to urgently enact a human tissue bill and “soft” opt-out organ donation to increase the number of organs available for transplant, as well as provide more funding to ensure the measures are effective.
COVID-19 They are also calling for the full restoration of all transplant facilities that have been used to treat COVID-19, as well as all facilities affected by the pandemic.
“The Irish Donor Network recognises that one of the main reasons for the decline in transplant volumes in Ireland between 2019 and 2020 is due to transplant resources, including clinical staff, being diverted to care for COVID-19 patients, or transplants and assessments being suspended due to facilities being adjacent to COVID-19 wards,” said IDN chairman Philip Watt.
“This may explain, for example, why the heart and lung transplant program at Matter Hospital was the most affected by COVID-19 compared to all transplant programs.”
“In raising our concerns on behalf of the many people waiting for transplant assessment and life-saving transplant surgery, we would like to express our gratitude to the dedicated clinical staff working in organ donation and transplantation in Ireland.
“Alongside colleagues at Organ Donation and Transplant Ireland, the HSE body which coordinates organ transplant and donation services in Ireland, clinical staff have worked like a Trojan Horse over the past 18 months under extremely challenging circumstances. Drawing attention to these figures is not an attempt to shift blame, rather it is an urgent 'call to action' to the Government,” Watt added.
