Lleida has recorded its highest organ donation figures, with 31 residents receiving transplants between January and April 2026, six more than in the same period last year, according to the Catalan Transplant Organisation (OCATT).
The waiting list in the Lleida region also fell to 67 people by April, 20 fewer than a year earlier. Most patients, 62, are waiting for a kidney, while two need a liver, two a lung, and one a heart.
Between January and April, six organ donations took place at Arnau de Vilanova University Hospital. That is two fewer than last year, but there were no family refusals during this period, compared with two in 2025. For background on the region’s health coverage, see our news page.
On National Organ and Tissue Donor Day, OCATT and the Department of Health said Catalonia’s donation model remains a “world reference model”. Across Catalonia, 465 organ transplants were carried out in the first four months of 2026, up 0.9% year on year. Valid deceased donors rose by 4.1% to 128, while living donors fell by 1.6% to 62.
Family refusals stood at 23.5%, down from 2025 but still above the historical average. As of 30 April, 1,375 people were still on the organ waiting list in Catalonia, and 813 people became tissue donors in the first four months of the year. More on the official regional system is available from the Catalan Transplant Organisation and the Department of Health.
Jaume Tort, director of OCATT, said the system depends on public awareness and shared responsibility, adding that when one life ends it can mean the chance to live, or improve the quality of life, for many other people. Arnau de Vilanova University Hospital is also holding an event today to recognise donors, families, and the professionals involved in the donation and transplant process.
Last year, Lleida reached its highest number of donors on record, with 18. Mariona Badia, coordinator of the Arnau Transplant Unit, described 2025 as an “extraordinary” year because of these life-saving gestures, according to comments made to Segre earlier this year.