Frequently asked questions about the Reporting Point for Organ Transplant Travel

The Dutch Transplant Foundation (NTS) collects data via the Reporting Point for Organ Transplant Travel on the travel behavior of Netherlands residents traveling abroad for organ transplants. This information is reported to the NTS by healthcare providers. For example, when a patient has received a donor kidney abroad and subsequently returns to the Netherlands. A healthcare provider is often the first and sometimes the only one aware of such a transplant. To gain insight into these transplants, more and better knowledge and cooperation are needed, both nationally and internationally. The NTS collects the obtained information and shares it with the Council of Europe, commissioned by the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport (VWS). By working together within Europe to map travel movements for organ transplantation, it becomes clear whether there are destinations to which people frequently travel without a legitimate reason.

Yes, making a report is mandatory as of 07-01-2026. This is laid down in Article 8e of the Safety and Quality of Body Material Act. Every travel movement of a Dutch resident abroad in the context of an organ transplant must be reported so that a complete picture of such travel movements is created. By making it mandatory to report all cases, you as a healthcare provider do not have to weigh whether or not it might involve an illegal transplant. Due to the legal anchoring of the reporting obligation, making a report is also not in conflict with professional confidentiality.

When a patient residing in the Netherlands has traveled abroad for a transplant, the healthcare provider makes a report about this patient. This does not have to involve illegal activities. Every report helps us gain insight into the travel movements that patients make for a transplant. The report consists of 24 questions. These questions relate to, among other things, the transplant and the travel movement. The patient's name is never mentioned in the report.

It is known that patients travel worldwide for organ transplants. By collecting and sharing data on travel behavior abroad for organ transplants, the scale of this is being mapped at a European level for the first time. This information is used to gain knowledge about the detection and combating of organ trafficking. The data also contributes to policy measures, if necessary, for the required cross-border cooperation in the field of transplantation. The goal is to increase the safety of patients and donors. With the introduction of the Reporting Point for Organ Transplant Travel, the Netherlands is joining other European countries that have such a reporting point. In addition, several European countries are in the process of developing one. The Reporting Point for Organ Transplant Travel is explicitly not intended for the investigation or prosecution of the individuals to whom the report relates.

Yes. The reporting point applies to all Dutch patients who have received an organ abroad. No distinction is made between the different types of donation (post-mortem or living). The reporting point also applies to every type of organ transplant (kidney, liver, heart, lung, pancreas, small intestine).

The Dutch Transplant Foundation (NTS) has been commissioned by the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport to take on the management, operational execution, and further development of the Reporting Point for Organ Transplant Travel. With this, the NTS collects information on travel behavior in the context of organ transplants by Dutch patients. The NTS shares the information from the Dutch reports with the Council of Europe.

If you wish to make a report, please go to www.transplantatiestichting.nl/meldpunt-reisbewegingen-orgaantransplantaties. Here, you can make an initial report by leaving your contact details (name, phone number, and email address). You will then receive the questionnaire by email for preparation. An NTS policy officer will go through the questionnaire with you by phone. The answers you provide will be entered directly by the relevant NTS policy officer into the portal specifically built for this purpose by the Council of Europe. Once the questionnaire is completed, the report is finalized. The reporter's contact details are immediately deleted.

The NTS collects information from Dutch reports and shares it in the Council of Europe's portal. Because multiple European countries do this, a picture of travel behavior in the context of organ transplantation is created at the European level. The patient who is the subject of the report will not be contacted by the NTS or the Council of Europe. The reporter's contact details are deleted as soon as the report is finalized.

The information collected about the patient's travel contains sensitive data about a potentially vulnerable patient. By discussing this information over the phone, the collected data does not need to be stored in an additional location. The data is entered directly into the Council of Europe's secure registry during the phone call. By choosing this method, the data does not need to be stored at the NTS. In addition, the NTS policy officer can provide support with making the report over the phone where necessary.

The new Safety and Quality of Body Material Act comes into effect on 01-07-2026. From that date, reports regarding international travel must be made. This means that if, as a healthcare provider, you become aware after 01-07-2026 of travel for organ transplantation that took place before 01-07-2026, you must also report it. You are therefore expected to report retrospectively if you become aware of the travel after 01-07-2026.

Yes, the travel must be reported in that case as well. It is necessary to map all travel movements in order to gain insight into potentially illegal travel. When making the report, you can, for example, indicate whether the patient had a referral letter. A referral letter can be an indication that the transplantation took place legally. The person making the report does not need to distinguish between legal and illegal transplantations.

Any healthcare provider in a hospital who has a treatment relationship with the patient in the context of organ transplantation care can make a report. This could be, for example, a physician (assistant), a medical social worker, or a nurse practitioner. In the event that multiple healthcare providers make a report about the same patient, this will be recognized by the NTS.

Every instance of travel by a resident of the Netherlands to another country for an organ transplantation must be reported. Are you in doubt, or would you like advice on making a report? You can always contact the NTS via nfp@transplantatiestichting.nl. We will contact you as soon as possible.

If you later discover that the information you provided to the Organ Transplantation Travel Reporting Point is incorrect, we recommend contacting the NTS via nfp@transplantatiestichting.nl. We will then do our best to correct the information.

There is a statutory reporting obligation for making a report to the Reporting Point for Organ Transplant Travel. This means that patient consent is not required to make a report. The KNMG guideline 'Handling medical data' recommends that a healthcare provider should, if possible, also inform the patient about the provision of information, even in the case of a statutory reporting obligation.

No, your patient will never be approached by the NTS or by the Council of Europe. These are the only parties that can view the reports. Even within the NTS and within the Council of Europe, not everyone can view the report. The number of employees who can view it is limited to the minimum.

It is understandable that making a report can cause tension in the treatment relationship. At the same time, the reporting obligation is legally established and applies to all healthcare providers. The report must therefore still be made. Communicate openly and clearly with the patient about the report. Explain the purpose and objective of the reporting point. Also explain that the reporting point is explicitly not intended for criminal prosecution. This can prevent or alleviate anxiety in patients.

No. The reporting obligation is laid down in the Body Material Safety and Quality Act (Wvkl), Article 8e. This provides a legal basis for sharing data, and professional secrecy is not violated. For more information on breaking medical professional secrecy, see Article 7:457 of the Dutch Civil Code (WGBO).

Even in that case, the reporting obligation remains in effect. The obligation to report is legally established in the Body Material Safety and Quality Act (Wvkl), Article 8e. The reporting obligation does not depend on the patient's consent. Communicate openly and clearly with the patient about the report. Explain the purpose and objective of the reporting point. Also explain that the reporting point is explicitly not intended for criminal prosecution. This can prevent or alleviate anxiety in patients.

When a patient indicates an intention to travel abroad for a transplant, it is important to support the patient in making an informed decision. Provide clear and understandable information about the ethical, medical, and psychosocial risks of illegal transplant practices, including the potential and often serious harm inflicted on the donor. Also pay explicit attention to the risks to the patient's own health and safety. Discuss the dangers of illegal organ transplants, such as insufficient donor assessment, inadequate or missing medical screening, unsafe surgical conditions, postoperative complications, an increased risk of infectious diseases, the lack of adequate aftercare and continuity of care, and the long-term risks for transplant recipients.

Every patient can submit a formal request for access to the client of the reporting point. This is the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport. For information on how to submit a request for access, seehttps://www.rijksoverheid.nl/ministeries/ministerie-van-volksgezondheid-welzijn-en-sport/privacy.

The NTS collects the information from the Dutch reports. Subsequently, the NTS only shares the necessary information with the Council of Europe. Information about the reports is never shared with other agencies, such as the IGJ, the police, or the Public Prosecution Service.

The report regarding the travel movement is made to the NTS. The reporting point is separate from the patient's medical record, which is managed by the hospital. The usual guidelines of the healthcare institution apply to recording in the medical record.

To get a good picture of the international travel movements of patients traveling for an organ transplant, a number of data points are required. These are data that say something about the transplant (such as the type of organ and the country where the transplant took place) and data that say something about the donor and the recipient (such as age and gender). Please note: the patient's name is not mentioned anywhere.

Some of the data collected in the reporting center says something about the patient. This is obviously sensitive information. This information is collected by telephone by the NTS and registered directly in the register managed by the Council of Europe. In this way, this sensitive information never has to be stored at the NTS. The contact details of the reporter are deleted immediately after the report has been registered.

The information collected by telephone is entered into the registry managed by the Council of Europe. The data processed in this registry is managed in accordance with the Council of Europe's data protection regulations, and according to the principles of lawfulness, fairness and transparency, purpose limitation, data minimization, accuracy, storage limitation, integrity and confidentiality, and accountability.

The information collected through the reporting center is used to gain insight into transplant travel movements and for (inter)national policy development. The reporting center is not used for criminal investigation or prosecution. The data collected in the reporting center is shared exclusively with the Council of Europe.

There can be good reasons for a patient to travel abroad to undergo a transplant. However, it is illegal to be involved in an organ transplant involving coercion or trafficking. Illegal forms of travel for organ transplants often seem to take place outside our national borders. By working together within Europe to map travel movements for organ transplants, it becomes clear whether there are destinations where people often travel without a legitimate reason.