Here you can read more about our policy and the practicalities of organ and tissue donation.
Organ and tissue transplants increase the quality of life of hundreds of people in Belgium each year. In some of these patients, it is even a life-saving procedure. One donor can save up to 8 people!
Organs and tissues are resected (= surgically removed) from deceased donors all over Europe. Thanks to a very high number of organ donors (about 30 per 1 million inhabitants), the deceased donor rate in Belgium is very high compared to our neighbouring countries.
For many years, the Jan Yperman Hospital has taken an active part in locating and applying organ donors (= local donor function).
Legally, every Belgian is a donor, unless he or she has explicitly refused (= opting-out principle).
Anyone can also officially register his/her choice of organ donation:
There are two kinds of donors:
When doctors think that a deceased patient is eligible for donation, the transplant team is contacted first. They check the national register for any active registration or refusal. Afterwards, a possible organ donation is discussed with the family or next of kin who are involved.
The (imminent) death of a loved one is always a very intense event. These conversations are therefore very hard during an emotionally difficult period. Yet we see that, with the right guidance, the family often has a positive feeling after organ donation.
The organs that can be resected are the following:
Tissues that can be transplanted are:
Resections (=surgical removal of organs and tissues) are always done in close cooperation with the transplant teams of UZ Gent and UZ Leuven, who take on the overall coordination and ensure that the donor organ goes to the best recipient patient, at home and abroad. All this is done according to the latest scientific guidelines and within the legal standards.
Transplants or implantation of organs as well as organ donations with living donors are not performed at the Jan Yperman Hospital. By law, these operations are almost always performed at the university centres in our country. Tissue implantation is performed at the Jan Yperman Hospital, for example during certain orthopaedic procedures (e.g. cruciate ligament surgery) and ophthalmological procedures (e.g. corneal surgery).
Once a donor procedure is initiated, all subsequent examinations and tests are funded by the recipient patients. Therefore, no extra costs are charged. Naturally, the costs of burial or cremation are charged to the patient’s account.
After the donor procedure, the family can bury or cremate the patient.
Our team of doctors, nurses, psychologists and crisis counsellors is ready for the family at any time.
The team continuously receives additional training. Not only to quickly and adequately recognise and treat potential donors, but also to provide the best support and care for those closest to them. After all, it remains an intense event at a very difficult time.
A few months after the donor procedure, the team contacts the next of kin again. If desired, a personal conversation can be held to reflect on the past donation, some information can be given about where the organs have gone to (subject to privacy law and the rules of anonymity) and, if necessary, referrals can be made to professional mourning counselling.
For more information, feel free to visit the following website:
