Raising Awareness on the need for increased organ donation and transplantation: EKHA’s Gift of Life campaign

10 June 2018

With 1 in 10 adults with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) in Europe and 1 in 3 adults at increased risk of developing CKD, high costs for hospital based haemodialysis (up to 80,000€ per patient per year) and the negative impact of dialysis on patients’ quality of life, it becomes urgent to favour transplantation in the EU.

Interviewed during the recent ERA-EDTA congress held in Copenhagen on 25-27 May, ERA-EDTA President, Prof Carmine Zoccali identified economic sustainability of renal care as ’the main challenge’ and greater promotion of more cost-effective renal replacement therapies such as transplantation and home dialysis as “an absolute priority”, echoing EKHA’s positioning and activities as part of its “Gift of Life” campaign.

Launched at its Kidney Forum in the European Parliament in Brussels end April, EKHA’s Gift of Life campaign aims to raise awareness on the need for:

  • a coordinated approach at EU level as regards kidney donation
  • appropriate legal, structural and cultural frameworks in EU member states to boost donation rates and hence reduce the numbers of deaths resulting from kidney failure while waiting for a transplant.

The “Gift of life” campaign aims to provide:

  • A platform to channel EKHA’s key messages on transplantation to the European Commission, the European Parliament and other relevant EU stakeholders in the field
  • A framework for EU Member States to develop national awareness raising activities on transplantation in a coordinated manner.

As part of the “Gift Of Life” campaign, EKHA has produced a “Call to Action”, urging for:

  • Education programmes for healthcare professionals, patients and the general public to boost living donor transplantation at EU and national levels.
  • Establishment of appropriate legal and structural frameworks to make EU Member States’ transplantation programmes successful
  • Opting-out systems for deceased organ donation in EU member states
  • A coordinated approach towards kidney transplantation at EU level

 

Read the full Call to Action and EKHA’s recommendations on how to boost organ donation and transplantation in the EU and Member States here.

Feel free to use materials developed by EKHA to support your own actions and especially the newly designed EKHA Gift Of Life Infographic encapsulating key facts and figures, messages and goals in a read and print friendly format.

Learn more about EKHA’s Gift of Life campaign.