Healthy living
Body matters
An automatic 'yes' to organ donation?
Many more lives could be saved by a new approach to becoming organ donors
This would involve switching from the opt-in system currently in place, where people register with the Organ Donor Register, to the opt-out system, where individuals would, instead, register that they did not want their organs to be used. This system is already in operation in a number of other countries, including Austria, Belgium and Spain.
Sir Liam Donaldson, Chief Medical Officer, has called for a reversal in the way we approach organ donation. In his annual report he recommends that we switch to a system of presumed consent, meaning that when people die, their organs would be available for transplant, unless they had specifically stated that they did not want this to happen.
UK Transplant, the NHS organisation that matches and allocates donor organs, carried out research recently that found that although 84% of respondents were in favour of organ donation, only 32% had joined the register. Just over a third of those in favour said they hadn’t got round to it, 13% thought they might want to change their minds in the future (you can remove yourself from the register whenever you like), and 8% thought they were too old.
"There is a desperate shortage of organ donors in the UK and without a doubt, any debate that encourages people to consider their own wishes for donation is very welcome" says UK Transplant spokesman Dominic Moody
"But what’s really important is that we make those wishes known by talking to our families and joining the NHS Organ Donor Register. By doing this we help ensure our wishes will be fulfilled, as well as sparing our loved ones the difficulty of making a decision on our behalf at a very difficult time.
"At present about four in 10 families of potential donors refuse consent and very often it’s simply because they’d never discussed donation and didn’t know what their loved one wanted. In these circumstances families are much more likely to say no, which is a great pity if the individual had wanted to donate.
"It’s also a tragedy for the thousands of people currently waiting for a lifesaving transplant, because just one organ donor can save up to eight lives and improve dozens of others through tissue donation."
How to register
Carrying an Organ Donor Card is a clear sign of your intentions to be an organ donor; however, cards can be lost. For a more permanent record of your wish to donate your organs after your death, join the NHS Organ Donor Register by calling the NHS Organ Donor Line, 0845 60 60 400 at any time. Or you can register online.
"It’s important to talk to your family when you register to be an organ donor. This gives them the chance to discuss your decision and saves them from having to come to terms with the idea of donating your organs at an emotional time," says Dominic Moody.
"How a transplant changed my life"
Ben Shing, 66 and an Assistant Lecturer at Cardiff University, had a liver transplant in April, after three years of treatment for a tumour on his liver. He lives in Newport with his wife Jane, and they have two adult daughters.
"In 2004 CT and MRI scans showed that I had a tumour on my liver. I was treated with drugs to start with, but then the tumour started to grow. In October last year I spent a week in hospital being assessed. My surgeon and consultant explained the situation to me, that I could go on the waiting list for a donor liver, and that it would be better to have the operation sooner rather than later.
"I got the phone call to say there was a liver available for me and went in for the five-hour operation on April 29th. Eight days later I was discharged from hospital. Even the surgeons were surprised at how swift my recovery was.
"Before the operation I was tired, always wanting to sleep, bloated and couldn’t do very much. I was losing weight, too. Since the operation I feel like a new man, I feel I have a new lease of life. I drive and do the gardening and go shopping. I’m probably going back to the university to do more tutorials and will do some more work with the Open University. I feel very optimistic.
"I’m in favour of the opt-out system. People seem to think organ donation is a good thing, but there’s a big discrepancy between those who are in favour and those who sign up. I know other countries already have this system, and I think Britain should follow suit. If it can save lives we should do it."
Transplant Facts
- You are more likely to need a transplant than to become a donor
- One donor can donate a heart, lungs, two kidneys, pancreas, liver and small bowel, and two corneas
- Donors can also give bone and tissue, including heart valves, skin and tendons
- There are over 14.4 million people on the NHS Organ Donor Register
- More than 9,000 people in the UK need a transplant that could save or greatly improve their life
- Last year more than 400 people died while waiting for a transplant
Useful website
Information on this site is for interest only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. You should consult your own doctor about any specific health concerns.
