Despite all that, Norway has not been specifically affected by the issue the latest years, but that is only because having understood its importance, Norway has achieved extremely short waiting lists for tissues and organs. According to WHO, the only two countries almost self-sufficient in kidneys are Norway and Spain. That has been achieved in many ways. First and foremost, Norway invests in educating citizens on how to stay healthy.
Through education, not only are less people in need of transplant, but also possible and willing donors are less bound to be rejected due to health conditions. As a result, the annual percentage of kidney rejections has decreased to 13%. The educational system also cultivates a sense of altruism to the public and consequently, almost everyone in Norway is a willing donor. The Government has also established an opt-out donation system, which has been shown to have very positive effects on transplants. This means that everyone is presumed as a donor unless they sign an opt-out document. The maximum age limit for donors has also been removed, which minimizes the waiting lists without jeopardizing patients. Apart from that, shorter waiting lists are achieved with legal international transplants, since Norway is a member of Scandiatransplant and therefore, matching organs are easier to find.
Taking everything into account, Norway strongly urges every country to take action and tackle illegal organ trade, since it is a global phenomenon, which is also close related to transplant tourism and human trafficking. Norway also suggests the problem be combated at its roots and proposes the implementation of an opt-out donation system in more counties. Additionally, possible loopholes in national and international legislation concerning this issue are unacceptable and should be immediately fixed to ensure the public is protected from illegal organ harvesting. Finally, more attention should be placed on education’s role in improving overall public’s health and sense of altruism to ensure sufficient donor lists in the future.