In 2012, Peter Carstedt created MOD after receiving a new kidney himself.
The non-profit association is working to try to change how Sweden works with organ donation at the system level.
- I got a new kidney in 2009 and it was after that that I realized that we need to get better at organ donation in Sweden.
There was no one who worked with organ donation and we saw that there was a lot to learn from how our neighboring countries work with the issue.
Of the approximately 90,000 people who died in Sweden in 2020, only 174 people became organ donors.
The question is complex, says Peter Carstedt.
In order to donate organs in Sweden, the donor must die in the “right way” in an intensive care unit connected to a respirator and with the right staff who can assess whether a donor is medically suitable.
Located on the government table
Organ donation should become a natural part of healthcare, he says.
To achieve the goal that no one should die while waiting for organs, Peter Carstedt wants to see better conditions for healthcare with, among other things, doctors responsible for donations, available transplant teams, IVA sites, operating rooms and training.
In addition, legislation must be changed to clarify what medical interventions may be given in the final stages of life in order to best preserve the organs of those who want to donate their organs.
An issue that is currently on the government's table.
- The willingness to donate among the population in Sweden is among the highest in the world, but we are far behind when it comes to the number of donors per million inhabitants, concludes Peter Carstedt.