30% Rise in Latvians Using e-Health to Register Organ Donation Decisions
The number of people expressing their will on organ donation via the e-health portal has increased by 30%, with 52,989 citizens having registered, 60% of whom consent to donation.
According to the Latvian Digital Health Center (LDVC), more residents are using the e-health system to record their decision on organ, tissue, or body donation after death. A total of 52,989 people have made such a choice, a 30% increase compared to the previous year. Among them, 60% have given positive consent.
Despite the growth, this represents only about 2.85% of Latvia's population. Juris Gaiķis, a member of the LDVC board, noted that the increase reflects growing trust in digital health solutions and awareness of the importance of organ donation. He emphasized that a positive decision can save lives and urged others to register their will on the portal www.eveseliba.gov.lv.
Egija Lapiņa, head of the National Transplantation Coordination Service at Paula Stradiņš Clinical University Hospital, stressed that behind the statistics are real people awaiting transplants. She highlighted the importance of making an informed choice and discussing it with family to ease their burden at a critical moment.
Women are the most active, accounting for 68% of registrations, while the highest activity is seen in the 30–39 and 40–49 age groups. As of July 1 this year, 48,721 people had registered their decision on organ donation, 47,026 on tissue donation, and 30,635 on body donation for educational or scientific purposes.
To record their decision, users must log into the e-health system and navigate to “Personal Data” – “Organ and Body Use Permissions”. The choice can be changed at any time, and access to the information is restricted, with all views logged.
