Christa Stewens
I would like to welcome you to the website of the European Championships for transplant recipients and dialysis patients which will take place from 31.08. to 07.09.2008 in Würzburg. I am very pleased that the Association TransDia has been successful in organising the European Championships for transplant recipients and dialysis patients in 2008 for the first time in Germany with the competition site of Würzburg. It has therefore been my pleasure to take over the patronage for this event.
In Bavaria a rise in the number of organ donors, as well as the demand-appropriate care for chronically ill kidney patients is one of the most important tasks of our health policy. As one of the first federal states, Bavaria has decisively improved the organisational framework conditions to increase the number of organ donors by setting up transplant delegates. Around 250 transplant delegates have been appointed in all hospitals with intensive care beds, who act as central contact person for all questions dealing with the organ transplant in the respective hospital.
Even if the number of organ donors has shown a positive development trend since the coming into force of the Bavarian act for the implementation of the transplant act in 1999, the lack of suitable post-mortem donor organs is still enormous. The key to a lasting improvement of the organ donor situation lies with the concentrated efforts of all those involved in the organ donation process. Hospitals, transplant centres, the coordinating office Deutsche Stiftung Organtransplantation (DSO, German Foundation Organ Transplants), the health insurance, state offices and of course the self-help groups need to do their collective best to provide their respective indispensable contribution to the communal task of organ donation.
Promoting a better willingness towards organ donations therefore represents a special social challenge. Through a more intensive dealing with and thinking about the subject amongst the population it will be possible to further reduce the lack of available organs and hopefully overcome it in total one of these days. Events such as the European Championships for transplant recipients and dialysis patients can provide an excellent contribution to furthering organ donations and bringing about a corresponding social change of attitude in Germany and Europe. You as participants provide a major contribution towards sensitising the public to this subject by proving the physical activity and performance capacity of dialysis patients and organ transplant recipients with your obvious success of organ donation and transplant.
In this sense I wish the Association TransDia success and all the best for the 5th European Championships for transplant recipients and dialysis patients in Würzburg, as well as the participants and visitors a successful, motivated competition and a rich exchange of experiences with many new acquaintances.
Christa Stewens
Bavarian State Minister of Labour and Social Welfare, Family Affairs and Women
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