German Health Minister Jens Spahn has called for more people in Germany to form a clear opinion on the possibility of organ donation.
Speaking to the German News Agency, Spahn said that tackling this issue should be "self-evident for all of us. We owe it to more than 10,000 people waiting for a hopeful organ.”
The minister insisted that everyone should make a decision and document it in a donation card.
"Many have already done so, but that is no longer enough.”
According to recent polls, the outlook for organ donation is improving.
A study conducted by the Federal Center for Health Education showed that positive views on organ donation now stood at an unprecedented 84 percent. The study involved 4,000 people between 14 and 75 years of age and was conducted between November and February.
According to the study, 36 percent currently have a membership donation card, compared to only 22 percent in 2012.
Health insurance must contact insured people over the age of 16 every two years and survey their views on organ donation.
However, the numbers of organ donors are still not high. According to the German Foundation for Organ Transplantation, the number of donors reached a very low point last year with 797.
Following the record low figures, demands were made in Germany for new donation rules, similar to those in other European countries, to be adopted.
The Netherlands has passed a law requiring all citizens over the age of 18 to be registered as organ donors after death, unless they explicitly refuse to do so.
Dr. Frank Ulrich Montgomery, president of the Federal Chamber of Physicians in Germany, said: "From a medical perspective, especially from the perspective of many seriously ill patients on waiting lists, the application of such a rule would be the best thing to do.”
