The Santander Declaration is the star of the International Transplant Summit with the participation of 57 countries

The National Transplant Organisation (Organización Nacional de Trasplantes – ONT) presented a new global pact at the International Transplant Summit, held last November, for the development of donation and transplant of organs, tissues and cells over the next ten years. This year’s summit, which is co-sponsored by the World Health Organisation (WHO), took place in Santander, the capital of Cantabria in honour of the donor figures in the autonomous region, which has been leading the sector in Spain every year since 2015.

The document in question has been named the Santander Declaration and it has been signed by 183 experts from 57 countries. All of them coincide in the need to promote five important strategies related to organ donation: improvement in patient care, the sustainability of the transplant systems, transparency and safety, the fight against human trafficking and innovation.

Emphasis was also placed on the importance of increasing the number of countries that practice the asystole donation, which involves the use of organs and tissues from individuals whose death is confirmed after their cardio-respiratory functions stop, which is only practiced in 23 states.