Significant Rise in Living Organ Donation Requests in 2024 Against a Decline in Post-Mortem Donations
The annual report from the Public Prosecution in Morocco has recorded a notable increase in the number of living organ and tissue donation requests in 2024, reaching a total of 149 requests, marking a significant development compared to previous years.
The data provided in the report indicates that women led the list of donors, comprising 57.72 percent with 86 female donors compared to 63 male donors, representing 42.28 percent. Most donation requests were concentrated among the age group over 45 years, with 52 requests, followed by the 31 to 45 age group with 50 requests, while the 18 to 30 age group had the lowest number at 47 requests.
The report clarified that all living donation requests received judicial approval, with an acceptance rate of 100 percent.
Regarding post-mortem donations, the report revealed that only 41 requests were recorded in 2024, split between 21 requests from females, accounting for 51.22 percent, and 20 requests from males, making up 48.78 percent. The age group of 18 to 30 years led the post-mortem donors at 43.90 percent, followed by those over 45 years at 34.15 percent, and the 31 to 45 age group at 21.95 percent.
The report noted that these requests included 41 cases for therapeutic purposes and 16 cases for scientific purposes, in accordance with the applicable legal provisions.
Moroccan legislation governs the process of organ and tissue donation, collection, and transplantation under Law No. 16.98, alongside its implementing decree and related regulatory texts, aiming to ensure donor safety and protect their rights while preventing any manipulation or illegal trafficking of human organs.
The legal framework specifies two types of donations: living donations and post-mortem donations, both subject to precise procedures that require prior judicial permission.
Despite this legal framework, the report indicated that the demand for organ donation still falls short of the increasing needs of patients, attributing this to a lack of community awareness and insufficient understanding of the legislation governing this process, as well as its human and medical significance.
Recent data highlights this disparity, with 42 living donation requests and 98 post-mortem requests recorded in 2022, rising to 110 living requests and 116 post-mortem requests in 2023, before 2024 saw a leap in living donations alongside a sharp decline in post-mortem donations.
The report concluded that there is an urgent need to review the legal framework governing organ and tissue donation, enhance coordination among various stakeholders, and intensify awareness campaigns to encourage citizens to participate in this vital process, which serves as a crucial means of saving lives and improving the quality of life for patients.
