30,548 registered organ donors in Malta and Gozo

Health Minister Ian Borg has urged more people to register as organ donors, saying one donor can help save up to eight lives.

Speaking on World Organ Donation Day on Thursday, Borg met transplant recipients, registered organ donors and families of deceased organ donors to discuss the challenges faced by patients waiting for potentially life-saving transplants.

The meeting also highlighted the anxiety and uncertainty experienced by patients who can spend long periods on transplant waiting lists. In 2024, 8,591 people across Europe died while awaiting an organ transplant, underlining the continued need for more donors.

Families of organ donors spoke about the support they received from hospital staff after the deaths of their loved ones, as well as the sense of connection they felt after receiving anonymous letters of thanks from transplant recipients whose lives had been changed by the donations.

“By registering as organ donors today, we are saving lives in the future – perhaps the greatest legacy we can leave behind,” Borg said.

He paid tribute to registered donors, deceased multi-organ donors and living donors who give a kidney or part of their liver to patients in need of a transplant.

Borg also thanked those involved in promoting organ donation, including staff at Mater Dei Hospital’s Renal Unit, members of the Transplant Support Group and officials from the Superintendence of Public Health.

He urged families in Malta and Gozo to discuss organ donation openly and consider registering their wishes.

Registration can now be completed online through organdonation.gov.mt, with the process taking only a few minutes using an e-ID.

During Thursday’s meeting, Borg also submitted his own registration as an officially registered organ donor under current legislation. He had previously participated in the former voluntary organ donor card scheme.

Malta’s National Human Organ and Tissue Donation Register, established in 2016, currently has 30,548 registered organ donors.

More than 2,410 people have joined the register over the past two and a half years following awareness campaigns by health authorities, the Transplant Support Group and other organisations.

Managed by the Superintendence of Public Health, the register is the official legal record of an individual’s wishes concerning organ donation. It is intended to protect personal autonomy, provide clarity to healthcare professionals and facilitate the safe and ethical donation of organs and tissues for transplantation.

The register replaced the former Organ Donation Card scheme, which did not have legal status.

Members of the public can also speak directly to the Transplant Support Group on Thursday and Friday, 13 and 14 August, between 9am and 12.30pm at the main reception area of Mater Dei Hospital.

“The public can use the opportunity to learn more about organ donation and register as donors,” the health minister said.