The Organ Donor Register has Reached 16 Million people
22 January 09 - Organ Donor Register
In 2001 when the Government Target was first launched, the register stood at 8 million and 5,532 people were waiting for a life saving transplant.
Now 26% of the UK population have joined the ODR pledging their organs for transplant after their death. However, the number waiting for life-saving organ transplant has risen to almost 8,000 and continues to steadily increase. 1,000 people are expected to die this year while waiting for a transplant.
Since January 2001, 23,551 life-saving organ transplants have been made possible thanks to the generosity of donors and their families but during the same period, at least 4,500 people died while waiting because a suitable organ could not be found in time.
Lynda Hamlyn, Chief Executive of NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) said: “Reaching 16 million on the NHS Organ Donor Register a year before planned is testament to the support that exists for donation in the UK. More than a quarter of the population have demonstrated their commitment by signing the Register. But, with 8000 people in the UK currently waiting for a life-saving organ transplant, we need to do more.
“Around 3,000 organ transplants take place in this country every year, but during the same period approximately 1,000 people - 3 a day - die while waiting because of the shortage of donated organs.
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The idea of introducing presumed consent, under which people would be placed on the organ donor register automatically unless they "opted out", was rejected last year by a panel of experts appointed by the government. They said such a move was unlikely to increase donor numbers and posed a significant risk of eroding patient trust.
Instead, a £4.5m public awareness campaign is to be launched in England aimed at boosting voluntary donor numbers.
For more articles (Including some familiar faces please take a look at the following links:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7844015.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/7843803.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7843920.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/south_of_scotland/7843803.stm
Daniel was lucky to have received two transplants in his short lifetime. As Daniel's family we will always be grateful to two very special families who gave Daniel such an incredible gift. Raising awareness of the need for more people to sign the Organ Donor Register is very important to us.
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