SUMMARY
Organ transplantation has become an established method of treatment of organ failure. In some cases, it represents the only effective treatment.With the accelerated development of transplant medicine in the world, three main models of organ donation and transplantation have been established – the Spanish, the American and the mixed model. Slovenia's organisational aspect of organ donation and transplantation followed the Spanish model. The Institute of the Republic of Slovenia for the Transplantation of Organs and Tissues – Slovenia Transplant – became operational in 2002. Organ procurement and transplantation are intertwined in a national network, which consists of 11 donor hospitals, the transplant centre and the centre for tissue typing. The most important segments of the donor programme are donor hospitals with hospital transplant coordinators, while central transplant coordinators are responsible for coordinating the activities at all levels. Slovenia Transplant ensures effective execution of the donor programme and the quality and safety of procured organs and tissues. It issues professional guidelines and provides expert supervision. Special attention is devoted to the education and training of healthcare professionals at all levels of healthcare system and raising awareness of the general public.The number of deceased donors in Slovenia has been rising since 1998. In terms of the number of actual deceased donors per million population and the family refusal rate, our achievements are comparable to those in other European and other countries, thus indicating a high level of trust in the donor program and in the Slovenija Transplant as an institution.The future of the donor programme lies in progressive ethical codes and guidelines that treat palliative care or end-of-life care patients as possible deceased donors. In Slovenia, an initiative has already been taken to include such approach in the ethical code.