Last week, we had the pleasure of hosting a delegation from DonateLife Australia, the leading authority in organ donation and transplantation for the state of Victoria. The primary objective of their visit was to gain insights into the Spanish organ donation and transplantation model, with a view to understanding its operations and exploring the potential application of some of its initiatives in Australia.

The delegation consisted of Tony Holland, General Manager of DonateLife Victoria, Sam Radford, Deputy State Medical Director of DonateLife Victoria, and Dashiell Gardner, Senior Intensive Care Specialist at Alfred Health. During their visit, they had the opportunity to observe the functioning of the Catalan system through a visit to the Catalan Transplant Organization (OCATT).

They also gained valuable insights into the structure and operations of hospital transplant coordination units by visiting two leading hospitals in the region: Hospital de Bellvitge and Hospital Clínic of Barcelona. These visits allowed the delegation to experience firsthand the Spanish approach to organ donation and transplantation, fostering a deeper understanding of best practices that could potentially be adapted to the context of Victoria, Australia.