The Ministry For Health, the Elderly and Community Care, said in a statement today that to date Malta has no National legislation which regulates organ donation.

The Ministry said it is currently in the final stages of transposing current EU legislation in this regard. This draft legislation which transposes EU directive 2010/45 is currently being translated after having gone through wide consultation with the stakeholders.

“The directive (and the proposed legislation) ensures the quality of harvesting and the safety of transplantation of organs as well as the quality standards required in establishments carrying out such procedures. The legislation caters for the donation of organs from deceased and living donors and clearly stipulates that such donations shall be voluntary and unpaid,” the Ministry said.

“In the case of live organ donation one is to make sure that the donor is in good health, is fully informed of the potential repercussions of the proposed donation, is physically and psychologically prepared for the donation and that his health status will not suffer as a result.” The Ministry continued, “this is the role of the LOTAC, the Live Organ Transplant Advisory Committee. The Committee is also to ensure that there is no coercion or financial gain for the donor. Once all this is established the process of checking compatibility with a potential recipient starts.”

Any interested donors are therefore requested to approach Mater Dei Hospital personally by calling at the Renal unit or by contacting the hospital via the following:

Tel. 79848024 E mail: paul.calleja@gov.mt

“A potential donor, who registers his/her interest in donating an organ, through the above contacts, will then be contacted by Mater Dei Hospital. Once the potential donor is informed of all the facts and circumstances relating to organ donation and transplantation and the system in operation in the hospital for the assignment of available organs is objectively explained, the potential donor should be free to decide whether to donate his organ,” the Ministry said.

“A live organ donor, who is not related to a prospective recipient, may have a specific wish to donate his organ to a specific recipient. It is felt that in this case, having ascertained that all the parameters outline above have been satisfied, the wish of the donor should be respected. On the other hand if the donor has no specific recipient in mind, then the most clinically deserving compatible patient will be identified according to the clinical parameters, the statement concluded.

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