Every year, 12,000 patients need to undergo organ transplantation. In 2005, only 4,238 of these patients underwent transplantation because France has a shortage of organs for transplantation.

The Bioethics Law of August 6th 2004 raises the question of organ procurement and transplantation to the level of a national priority: all hospitals should contribute to procurement.

One of the Agence de la biomédecine chief priorities is increasing the number of transplant operations.

Together with health professionals, the agency is helping to improve the organisation on the basis of organ procurement and transplantation activities in France.

The Agency is working towards improving the quality of the organs obtained, and extending the pool of potential organ donors. We are developing training on the reception of grieving families in hospitals. The agency is committed to ensuring that the surgical teams have the necessary means to increase the number of transplantations. Finally, the agency is encouraging everybody to make it clear to their close friends and family where we stand on the issue of organ and tissue donation after death.

 

- Managing the national waiting lists for transplantation
- Managing the national register of refusals to donate organs
- Developing rules for the organ allocation
- Co-ordinating the procurement, distribution and allocation of organs both in France and internationally
- Evaluating activities
- Organising expert committees for the authorisation of organ procurement from living donors
- Developing information on the donation of organs and tissues
 
 

The Bioethics Law is based on three guiding principles: consent, gratuity and anonymity between donor and recipient.

Principle of "presumed consent". After death, all individuals are considered to consent to the donation of elements of their body for transplantation unless they recorded opposition to such donation whilst alive. The law therefore allows individuals to take the decision to donate their organs personally. In case of death, the physician must ask the patient's family if the deceased had expressed opposition to organ donation.

Gratuity: Organ donation is a generous act of solidarity and must be entirely free. This prohibits any remuneration for such donation.

Anonymity: The name of the donor must not be communicated to the recipient. However, if requested, the family of the donor may be informed of the organs and tissues removed and the results of transplantation, without being given any indication of the recipient's identity.