In Sardinia, organ donations increased in the first six months of 2026, but the timing of pre-hospital visits patients underwent affected the number of transplants for Sardinians waiting.
This is the picture outlined by the Prometeo association, which compiled the most recent data provided by ANED (National Association of Hemodialysis, Dialysis and Transplant Patients). According to the National Transplant Center's results, updated as of June 16, 2026 , there are 54 reported donors in Sardinia , in addition to seven donors with heart failure. This represents an improvement compared to the same period in 2025, when there were 48 reported donors and only three with heart failure.
Furthermore, opposition to organ donation is decreasing. While the absolute number of oppositions remained unchanged, at 13 in both years, the percentage dropped from 27.1% in 2025 to 24.1% today. "We believe this is an excellent sign, placing Sardinia back among the most generous regions," says Pino Argiolas, director of Prometeo. "We are in fact the fifth most open to donation. This represents a growth in the culture of donation , thanks also to the commitment of volunteer associations in the complete absence of government institutions ."
The difference compared to last year becomes even more marked when looking at the "used" donors, which increased to 33 plus 4 non-responders, compared to 27 plus 1 non-responders in 2025. This increase has translated into an increase in overall interventions, which go from 31 last year to 46 in 2026.
"Despite these significant positives in donations," Argiolas continues, "unfortunately, we must still point out that the increase in donations in our region has not been matched by a corresponding increase in organ transplants. In fact, out of 33 donors used, who theoretically could lead to over 80 transplants, only 46 have been performed in Sardinia."
"It's clear," he continues, "that the organs donated in Sardinia and not transplanted on the island were transplanted to other transplant centers on the mainland, and therefore no organs were lost. But it's also true that , unfortunately, Sardinia has no shortage of patients with serious heart, liver, or kidney diseases . The problem is they can't get all the pre-transplant checkups needed to be put on the waiting list."
(Unioneonlin/AD)
