The number of potential organ donors in Norway has risen sharply since Crown Princess Mette-Marit was placed on the waiting list for a lung transplant.
On June 5, the Royal Palace in Oslo announced that Mette-Marit had been placed on the waiting list. Some 12,000 people have since registered as organ donors, the Norwegian news agency NTB reported on Tuesday, citing the country’s Organ Donation Foundation.
That is 180 times as many, or almost 18,000%, more than in the previous month.
Mette-Marit, 52, suffers from the incurable condition pulmonary fibrosis, which causes scarring of the lung tissue and makes breathing difficult. In her daily life, the wife of Crown Prince Haakon, 52, now uses an oxygen tank. To qualify for a lung transplant waiting list, patients are generally expected to have a life expectancy of about one year without a transplant.
According to the Organ Donation Foundation, around 600 patients are currently waiting for a donor organ in Norway. The waiting list for lung transplants is relatively short at present, lung specialist Are Holm said.
Norway operates an opt-out system for organ donation, meaning deceased individuals are considered potential donors unless they explicitly objected during their lifetime.
However, relatives are always consulted and can refuse the removal of organs.
