[Priority for live kidney donors in transplantation]. / Prioriteit voormalige nierdonoren bij transplantatie.

Patients in the Netherlands requiring a donor kidney spend 3 to 4 years on average on the transplant waiting list for a kidney from a deceased donor. Post-mortem donor kidneys are in short supply. Consequently, over the past 15 years, an increasingly number of living persons have donated a kidney. This development raises the question as to whether these donors ought to be given priority on the donor kidney waiting list in the event of subsequently suffering from severe renal insufficiency. The Health Council of the Netherlands concludes that there are sound medical-ethical and legal arguments for awarding live kidney donors with end-stage renal failure 500 points in the points system that Eurotransplant uses to determine the position on the waiting list. Adopting this approach would mean that donors would qualify for pre-emptive transplant of a post-mortem donor kidney. The Council is of the opinion that the proposal is reconcilable with national and international legal rules and the principles on which they are based.

[New medical products: a survey of the wishes of patients and care providers]. / Nieuwe medische producten: wensen van patiënten en zorgverleners in kaart gebracht.

The Health Council of the Netherlands drew up a program for research into innovative medical products. The Council focused on the needs of patients and care providers in 15 disease areas. In addition to presenting a research program, the Council describes the methodology to be used to involve users in the process. This makes the report relevant for all medical professionals, both care providers and researchers.