Patient‑rights advocates have criticised the federal government for deciding not to expand the ways people can register in the organ‑donation registry. “A state that wants to promote willingness to donate organs loses credibility when it acts this way” said Eugen Brysch, the board chair of the Stiftung Patientenschutz, to “Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland” in the Wednesday edition.
Brysch also recalled the Bundestag’s 2018 resolution, which stated that citizens would be able to enrol in the national registry at the offices that issue identity cards. He complained that the federal states have refused to fulfil that legal obligation. “Across Germany, almost no municipality now has a secure, privacy‑compliant terminal that the public can use” he explained. “So it’s no surprise that very few people have registered”. He denounced the decision to drop the municipal duty to provide barrier‑free access in favour of letting the states shoulder the requirement.
In 2020 the Bundestag rejected a proposal by several members to introduce a “no‑consent” (Widerspruchslösung) option, but simultaneously approved the creation of a central organ‑donation register. Later, the health ministers of the states asked Berlin to repeal the option for registration at identity‑card offices. The federal government now intends to comply.
The amendment is part of a revision to the Transplantation Act that will, for the first time, allow “cross‑donation” (Überkreuzspende). An expert hearing on the changes is scheduled for Wednesday in the Bundestag. Since the database went live in March 2024, about half a million people have already registered.