The Health Ministry has embarked on a campaign to dramatically increase the number of organ donor card holders. And, beyond the moral imperative, there is good reason to sign up – it could save your life or the life of someone you love.
Low rates of organ donor card holders
Israel has the unfortunate distinction of being a country with one of the lowest percentages of donor card holders in the Western world: 8% versus the usual 30 to 40%. Through injury or illness, there are over 1,200 children and adults in Israel currently waiting for a transplant. Because of the low rate of donation, only 250 people each year receive a transplant, leaving approximately 100 children and adults to die.
The life you save may be your own
Earlier this year, Israel enacted legislation to encourage increased signups for organ card donation. What’s the incentive? When you sign up, if you, your spouse, your children, your siblings, or your parents ever have the misfortune of needing a transplant, you’ll be given priority and bumped up the line.
The Law grants priority on the waiting list to the organ transplant candidate holder of a donor card before other candidates with similar medical data who do not hold such a card.
There are actually three categories of priority:- ‘Maximum priority’ is given to
- those who they or their first degree relative consented to organ donation from a deceased relative
- those who they or their first degree relative have actually donated (a kidney or liver or lung lobe) to a non-specified recipient
- ‘Priority’ is given to those who hold a donor card
- ‘Second priority’ is given to those who do not hold a donor card but who have a first degree relative who does
Children under 18 are an exception. They are treated equally regardless of the above priority system.
What it means for you is that if you and someone else are both in need of an organ transplant and have the same medical criteria, if you hold an organ donor card and the other person doesn’t, you’ll get the transplant.
9 out of 10 rabbis recommend organ donation
For those concerned with the perspective of Judaism on organ donation, see the section devoted to Jewish law on the Adi Card website, or visit the Halachic Organ Donor Society’s website where you can learn about the issues or view a list of prominent rabbis from a variety of sects who are organ donor card holders.
Act soon!
Anyone who signs up now will be given priority for transplants as soon as January 2012. Beginning 1 January 2012, those signing up will have to wait three years from sign up to be given priority.
How to register
Register by:
- Website form
- Phone – *6262
Have you signed up for your Adi organ donor card, yet?
okay, thanks. i actually did it b/c you made it so easy to do (except for the hebrew part… 🙂 .
Thanks, Jodi! Glad to hear you’ve joined up.