More people are donating organs and tissue after death

The number of organ and tissue donors has gone up significantly last year, including those who donated after death, figures from the Dutch transplant association NTS have shown.

The increase in people donating their organs to others when they die is due to the change in legislation around donation.

In the Netherlands everyone over 18 has to register whether they are willing to donate or not, and if they do which organs they would be willing to part with. People who do not register are taken to consent.

Foreign nationals are also asked to register their choice in the donor register three years after moving to the Netherlands. They may also register earlier if they wish.

“More people want and can become donors. The new donor act makes it clear what people want to happen to them after death and that is important,” NTS director Naomi Nathan told RTL Nieuws.

Last year some 360 people donated organs after death, 68 more than in 2023. In total, 1,066 people received organs and tissue from deceased donors.

Hospitals have also developed better methods to assess the quality of donated organs, Nathan said. “That means more organs can be used for transplants. It also means we can broaden the range of people suitable to donate,” she said.

The number of heart transplants has gone up steadily, for example, from 40 between 2016 to 2021 to 79 in 2024.

Some 2,543 people donated tissue in 2024, up 232 compared to the year before. This are vital too, Nathan said. “Grafts using donated tissue improve the lives of thousands of people with burns and other wounds that don’t heal properly. Transplants of heart valves in babies and adults also save lives,” she said.

However, despite the rise in donors, donations are still much needed, Nathan said. At the end of 2024, some 1,414 people were still waiting for a new organ.