June 22, the national day to talk about organ donation and save lives

A civic act, an act of solidarity, an act of generosity... According to the latest barometer from the Agence de la Biomédecine[1], 80% of French people are in favor of organ donation, a logistical and medical feat that saves thousands of lives every year. The Agence de la Biomédecine wants to make the national day of reflection on organ donation and transplantation, and recognition of donors (June 22), a date not to be missed for discussing the subject with loved ones. There's a simple way to increase the number of transplants in France: remind your loved ones that you're a donor! That way, when the time comes, everyone's wishes can be known and respected by their loved ones.

In France, in 2023, 5,634 transplants were carried out, representing some fifteen lives saved every day thanks to the formidable coordination of transplant teams. Donation and transplantation are widely acclaimed by the French, who are well aware of the benefits for patients.

"This is a source of hope and satisfaction for all those involved in the donation chain, especially as the need continues to grow: today, there are some 20,000 patients waiting for transplants in our country!" confirms Marine Jeantet, Director General of the Agence de la biomédecine.

While 93% of French people think it's important for their loved ones to know their position on organ donation, over 50% of them admit to never having raised the subject1.

"When a deceased person's next of kin don't know their loved one's wishes, their reflex is to express doubts, which leads hospital coordination teams not to proceed with the donation. In other words, when we talk about it, we help doctors to save lives," stresses Carine Raffestin, hospital coordinating nurse at Moulins-Yzeure hospital, and board member of the French Association of Hospital Coordinators.

If 80% of French people are in favor of organ donation1, then the rate of opposition should be capped at 20%, not the 36% seen in 2023.

"Organ donation is one of the very rare opportunities we have to save up to 7 lives (even more with tissue donation) with just a word, a conversation with loved ones, on June 22 and every other day of the year!" points out Marine Jeantet.

In addition to a lack of dialogue with loved ones, and hospital issues, the rate of opposition to organ donation can be explained by a number of preconceived ideas:

• Only 24% of French people know that harvested organs are not used for scientific purposes, but only to save lives.
• 26% of French people believe that the donor has not yet died when the organs are harvested. However, this is not true: the death certificate is drawn up before organ and tissue donation is even considered.
• Only 6 out of 10 French people believe that organ donation benefits all categories of the population equally. In France, organ donation and transplantation are free of charge. Transplants are rare. For these reasons, when an organ is harvested, it is allocated according to rules laid down by law to ensure the fairest possible distribution, while seeking the best recipient. Certain patients are given priority: children, recipients whose life is threatened in the very short term, recipients for whom the probability of obtaining a graft is very low due to particular morphological or immunogenetic characteristics.
• Some people are opposed to the idea during their lifetime, believing that they are too old or too ill. For example, 42% of French people think there is an age limit for organ and tissue donation, whereas the average age of donors in France is 57, and almost half of all donors are over 65. People who are ill or undergoing treatment can also donate their organs. For example, a person suffering from hepatitis can donate his or her liver to a recipient in vital need, the liver being treated for hepatitis once transplanted and out of danger.
• 1 in 2 French people believe that organ and tissue donation is incompatible with religious funeral rites. Yet organ donation is recognized and authorized by the 3 main monotheistic religions practiced in France, and organ harvesting does not prevent funeral rites from being carried out in accordance with each person's traditions. The different religions agree on the values of altruism and helping others. Last but not least, each harvest is carried out with the utmost respect for the dignity of the deceased.

"We are faced with a real need to overcome the preconceived ideas surrounding transplants and organ donation! In some regions, such as the Île de France and the French overseas departments and territories, the rate of opposition is 48.6% and 50% respectively. This represents a real loss of opportunity for patients waiting for transplants," confirms Pr François Kerbaul, Director of Organ and Tissue Procurement at the Agence de la Biomédecine.

Also according to our January 2024 barometer:

• What drives the French to feel concerned by the subject is the fact that this gesture can save lives (73%) and that it is an important gesture to help doctors save patients (54%).

On January^1,

2024, there were 21,866 patients on the national waiting list for a transplant, all organs combined. It is estimated that for every 23 people on the waiting list, only 15 are transplanted, 2-3 die, and the list is growing.

"We need to make the French aware of one thing: while transplants are vital, waiting is sometimes fatal. We need more transplants in France, and for that to happen, each and every one of us must do our bit and tell our loved ones where we stand. The lives of thousands of patients depend on it", says Yvanie Caillé, president and founder of Renaloo, an association that supports and accompanies kidney patients and their families.

For those who have benefited from a transplant, it is synonymous with a return to a normal life that would not have been possible without it.

"I feel bound by a moral contract with the donor and his family, about whom I know nothing. Thanks to their generosity, I'm able to live a life free of disease, for which I'm eternally grateful," says transplant recipient Laurent.

This year, to mark National Organ Donation Day, the Agence de la biomédecine has created a series of podcasts and testimonials for you to listen to and pass on.

OmnicomPRGroup press contact: Héloïse Sintes & Safa Lamghari, france.abm@omnicomprgroup.com Agence de la biomédecine press contact: Madeleine Claeys, madeleine.claeys@biomedecine.fr Agence de la biomédecine press site: https://presse.agence-biomedecine.fr

[1]

Agence de la biomédecine barometer, January 2024 "The French and organ and tissue donation".