“we must change the law to save lives” (Amal Bourquia)

The legal framework for organ donation dates back to 1999, but the number of donors is far from sufficient, according to specialists, to meet the needs of patients, the number of which increases every year. “The situation is desperate. The evolution of organ transplant operations is not up to our expectations, ”warned Amal Bourquia, professor of nephrology and pediatric nephrology and president of the Kidneys association. She says that it is time to proceed with the revision of Law 16.98 on the donation, removal and transplantation of human organs and tissues, in order to increase the number of donors which does not exceed, today , 1200 people nationwide.

“This figure does not meet the growing need for organs, we need millions,” she said. And to indicate that “volunteers are often discouraged by the complex procedure provided for by law 16.98, which is why we have been pleading, for six years, for its revision in order to adapt it to the current context”.

The specialist pleads, in this regard, to lighten the procedure for registering in the organ donation registers at the level of the courts of first instance in the Kingdom. It refers to Article No. 14 of this law which stipulates that “the declaration of the potential donor is registered with the president of the competent court of first instance for the donor’s domicile, or with the magistrate specially designated for this purpose by President “. This is, according to the specialist, a long process which makes it difficult to attract more donors, especially since “some courts do not have a donation register”.

For this, the nephrologist claims the establishment of the principle of donor by default in order to overcome the contradictions in terms of consent which appear in this law. It is, according to her, to consider any Moroccan donor by default, except those registered in a register of refusal to donate their organs. “It is the only current way that might help save people waiting for a transplant,” she pleaded, highlighting the successful experiences in other countries such as Spain where “everyone is presumed to be a donor. as long as she has not shown her will”.

The number of patients in need is increasing but the number of donors remains minimal. Faced with this reality kept “under silence”, the president of the “Reins” association calls for a national dialogue to be initiated with the participation of all parts of society, in particular health professionals and civil society, to reflect on the strategies and actions capable of promoting the culture of giving among all social categories with a view to decisive action on the part of the Ministry of Health.