Donor organisations have urged people from minority ethnic communities to sign up to give blood or donate their organs and stem cells.

The appeal was made to highlight the shortage of suitable organs for people from minority populations such as the Moroccan and Surinamese communities.

Patients’ chances of survival are greatest if they can be matched with an organ from someone of the same ethnic background.

Blood bank Sanquin, the Netherlands transplant foundation NTS and Matchis issued a joint appeal at the request of the public health ministry, warning that the shortage risked getting worse as the number of people of non-European origin increases.

“If the availability of donors doesn’t change to reflect that, the risk of growing health inequalities will increase,” they said.

People with different ethnic backgrounds have bigger variations in their genetic profile and blood structure, making it more likely that their bodies will reject a donor organ or create antibodies to “fight” unfamiliar blood cells.

“The immune system has to accept the donation, which is easier to achieve if there is a genetic similarity between donor and patient,” Sanquin spokesman Merlijn van Hasselt said.