12 May 06 - Serious Shortage of Organs for TransplantationA UK Transplant study, published in the British Medical Journal, which looked at all deaths in 341 intensive care units over two years, suggests that the UK's organ donation rate is one of the lowest in Western Europe. For every million in the population, only 12 donate their organs for transplant. The UK, like almost every other country has a serious shortage of organs for transplantation. Spain, which has a rate of 33 donations per 1m people is described by the report as 'exceptional'. The biggest obstacle is the high high proportion of relatives who deny consent - a total of 41% during the study period. Reasons included not wanting surgery on the bodies, being unsure of their relative's wishes, or relative's being divided. The refusal rates for families of potential donors from ethnic minorities was 70%, twice that for white potential donors (35%), but the age and sex of the potential donor did not affect the refusal rate. The study concluded that when the Human Tissue Act comes into force in September 2006, "the wishes and consent of the individual will be paramount".
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