One of Greece’s leading heart transplant surgeons has urged the government to capitalize on a recent high profile case and encourage more people to carry organ donor cards.

“The Greek government must act swiftly to make the most of the ‘Doujon effect,’ or the chance will be lost,” said Professor Petros Alivizatos, of Athens’ Onassis Cardiac Unit, while noting that Greece has the lowest rate of organ donations in the EU because of ignorance, taboos and religious beliefs.

Professor Alivizatos was referring to the case last July when an Australian father, after learning that his son, Doujon Zammit, was beaten to death on Mykonos, allowed the boy’s organs to be used for transplant operations, saving the lives of four Greek citizens.

In the two months following that momentous decision there has been a surge of Greeks asking for donor cards, authorities confirmed.

Professor Alivizatos, who performed one of the transplant operations, believes that the example shown by Mr. Zammit will have the same impact as a similar incident in Italy in 1994 when Nicholas, the seven-year-old son of an American tourist, was killed and his father donated the organs which helped to save the lives of seven Italians.

Following what was called the “Nicholas effect” by the media, the number of organs available for transplant in Italy tripled.