Kennisdossier
Waiting Lists Knowledge Dossier
In the Netherlands, there are too few donor organs and tissues available. That is why patients are on the waiting list. Read more about it in this knowledge dossier.
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The NTS wants everyone in the Netherlands who needs a donor organ or tissue to receive it in time. An organ transplant can save lives and donor tissue can greatly improve quality of life.
There is a waiting list for each organ. Some patients need multiple organs and are on multiple waiting lists. There is also a waiting list for some tissues.
Waiting list for donor organs
In the Netherlands, there is a waiting list for people who need a donor organ. How long someone has to wait varies per organ and per person.
Allocation
The NTS is responsible for the fair allocation of donor organs. It has mandated the allocation to Eurotransplant, a collaboration of 8 European countries. This collaboration increases the chance of a good match, including outside the Netherlands.
Waiting list for donor tissue
There is not only a waiting list for organs. There is also a waiting list for some donor tissues. The NTS manages the waiting list for corneas with HLA typing and heart valves.
Allocation
The allocation of donor tissues works differently than for organs. The Dutch Transplant Foundation (NTS) coordinates this process in collaboration with hospitals and tissue banks.
Figures
people are on the active waiting list for an organ from a deceased donor. Most are waiting for a donor kidney.
patients are on the waiting list for eye tissue
people receive an organ transplant annually
For patients on the waiting list
For patients, the period on the waiting list can have a major impact on their lives. That is why we offer patient information.
On the waiting list for an organ
Do you provide information to patients on the waiting list for a donor organ?
On the waiting list for a tissue
Do you provide information to patients on the waiting list for donor tissue, such as a cornea or heart valve?
Personal questions?
Are you a patient and do you have questions about your personal situation? It is best to discuss these with your attending physician.
Explanation of waiting lists
After a successful transplant, you are removed from the waiting list. In addition, new people are constantly being added. In this 3-minute explanatory video, you will discover how the waiting list changes and which factors play a role.
Frequently asked questions about waiting lists
Is the patient at the top of the list the first to be helped?
Many people think that the patient at the top of the waiting list is always the first to be helped. That is not always the case, because an organ must be a match for the patient. For example, blood type, age, weight, and certain tissue characteristics are important.
Would you like to know more about this?
Why doesn't the waiting list always decrease when there are more organ donors?
More donors often mean the waiting list can become shorter.
But sometimes something else happens. Doctors can adjust the national requirements for being placed on a specific waiting list.
- This way, patients are added to the waiting list who were previously ineligible.
- Or they are added sooner than before.
A transplant is thus achievable for more patients. And that is what is most important: helping as many patients as possible to get a new organ, with as little waiting time as possible.
What is the difference between the active and inactive waiting list?
The active waiting list contains patients who are currently able to undergo a transplant. They meet all the conditions to undergo and receive a transplant. Doctors assign the status Transplantableadded.
Sometimes a doctor will temporarily place someone on the inactive waiting list. Doctors assign the status Not transplantable.
This can happen in the following situations:
- Not all necessary preparations and examinations have been completed yet.
- The patient's medical condition is so poor that they cannot handle the transplant. Unfortunately, such a patient usually passes away, though sometimes they return to the waiting list.
- The medical condition is improving, for example, if an alternative treatment (after all) proves successful.
- You are waiting for a living donor. In that case, you are not included in the matching process for a donor organ from a deceased donor.
Want to know more?
Ambar is waiting for a kidney
Ambar is waiting. But she doesn't know if it makes sense. Her own kidneys no longer work, and the donated kidney from her aunt is functioning very poorly.
Questions about waiting lists?
Do you have questions about the waiting lists, for example for media publications?
Contact press officer