Starting next year in Israel, people who volunteer to donate their organs when they die will receive preferential treatment if they ever need a transplant, reports The Lancet.
Under the new law, Israel becomes the first country to encourage citizens to sign organ donor cards by rewarding them with priority status.
The Wall Street Journal Health Blog provides details on how the new organ donor system works:
In order to get priority, you have to volunteer to be an organ donor a few years before you need an organ yourself (this prevents people from signing up at the last minute purely out of urgent self interest). If you need a transplant and a close family member donated their organs after they died, you’ll also get bumped up the waiting list. Certain patients who have an urgent need for a transplant will still be given priority over patients who have agreed to be organ donors, but whose medical need is less urgent.
