Overview
- Draft legislation would legalize cross-pair exchanges for incompatible donor–recipient pairs, allowing two couples to swap kidneys when medically compatible.
- Non-directed anonymous living donations would be permitted and routed through the program’s pool, with allocation based solely on medical criteria under strict anonymity.
- A national program and registry of incompatible pairs would be established to identify matches and coordinate transplants.
- Donor protections would be strengthened through mandatory independent psychosocial counseling, pre-donation evaluation, and continuous support at transplant centers.
- Prior living donors would receive appropriate consideration if they later need a kidney, with detailed guidelines to be set by the Bundesärztekammer; about 6,400 people are waiting and waits can reach eight years.