Spain allows HIV-positive patients to donate organs to other HIV-positive patients

Spanish HIV-positive patients will now be able to donate their organs to other HIV-positive patients after Spain's Official Gazette (BOE) published a reform to abolish the law limiting donations on Monday.

The previous norm dates back to June 1987, and the change allows for positive patients to be able to donate their organs to others with the virus who need an organ transplantation.

During the last decade, 65 individuals testing HIV-positive could have donated their organs to perform up to 165 transplantations if the norm was not in place and there were potential candidates.

At the same time, around 50 patients with HIV across Spain await an organ transplantation, who will now be able to receive an organ from any HIV-positive donor.

Spain's health minister praised the announcement not only as a way of being able to increase the available organs for recipients, but also to "be part of the list of initiatives focused on erasing the social stigma suffered by many HIV-positive patients."

During the 80s and 90s, organ transplantation for HIV-positive patients was considered high risk. After the arrival of antiretroviral therapies, some initial studies with hopeful results were conducted. Until December 2024, there have been 311 kidney transplants, 510 liver transplantations, 11 lung transplantations, 10 heart transplants, and one for pancreas-kidney.

In Catalonia, HIV-positive patients cannot donate blood.