Colombia to make organ donations obligatory by default

World Today

In 2014, the Colombian National Health Institute reported that the amount of people who signed up to be organ donors fell by 15 percent. Colombia was facing an organ donor shortage, so Congress decided to take action.

CCTV’s Michelle Begue reports from Bogota.

According to Colombia’s National Institute of Health, there were only 262 donors between January and September of 2013. That resulted in a serious problem for those awaiting organ donations.
The NIH reported 72 deaths in Colombia in 2014 of people who were waiting on organ donor lists.

Last month, Colombia’s Congress, in an effort to drastically change this scenario, passed a law that makes organ donation obligatory.
If the deceased adult has not expressed his or her objections to organ donations during their lifetime, their organs are automatically put up for transplants.

The Colombian Transplant Institute says the law is important, and have put forth a strong campaign that explains the benefits of organ donations.
It is estimated that a single donor can save between seven to ten lives.