MOSCOW, September 22 (RAPSI) – Russia’s Federation Council has proposed adding an entry on deceased organ donation consent to some documents, the list of which is to be determined by the government.

The bill was submitted to the State Duma on Monday, RIA Novosti announced.

The list may include a passport, a drivers’ license or all-in-one card stipulated in the law on the provision of federal and municipal services. This information could be used to create an electronic data base for potential organ donors and should be easily accessible by authorized personnel across Russia.

The authors of the bill cite the experience of the United States and the EU.

The document says that the number of transplant surgeries in Russia has doubled over the past seven years and reached 1,400 in 2013. However, the Healthcare Ministry points out that this is less than 16% of the required number of transplants.

Although Russian legislation has a clause on presumed consent for deceased organ donation for underage citizens, doctors still tend to ask for the consent of the deceased’s family, which takes time and often leads to negative results. On the other hand, the doctors who act in compliance with law are often sued by the deceased’s family.

Despite presumed consent to organ donation, the mortality rate for patients on the organ transplant waiting list is nearly 60% in Russia. The figure for the Untied States, where organ and tissue donation legislation is based on presumed non-consent, is about 6%.