The new rules for organ donation will take effect on 1 July 2022. The purpose is to increase the number of organ donations and thereby save more lives.
Organ preservation treatment
The change in the law means that there will be clearer support for so-called organ-preserving treatment.
Organ-preservation treatment is usually about care interventions that the patient already receives - for example intensive care.
But it can also be about blood pressure regulating drugs or care in a respirator.
The question of donation can only become relevant when the patient's life can no longer be saved.
- It is important to emphasize that the health service primarily does everything so that the patient's own life can be saved, it is only when life cannot be saved that the question of donation can become relevant, says Anna Aldehag.
If the organ-preserving treatment cannot wait until after death, it may only cause slight pain or minor injury for a patient to become an organ donor.
Organ-preservation treatment may last for a maximum of 72 hours.
Related parties can not ban
The change in the law also means that the so-called related party veto is removed.
If the patient's attitude to organ donation is unknown, close relatives no longer have the right to make the decision.
- It has been emphasized that the individual's attitude to donation is given a more central role in that the right of close relatives to ban donation is removed, but close relatives must be notified and still have an important role as a source of information, says Anna Aldehag.
The health service always looks in the donation register and talks to relatives when the donation is investigated.
If the willingness to donate is negative, donation will not be relevant.