Universal organ donation proposed
Thursday, 20 Sep 2007 09:09
About 8,000 people in the UK need organ donation
A government taskforce is to investigate whether all people should be taken to be automatic organ donors unless they have stated otherwise.
At present people have to opt in to organ donation but a shortage of donors has brought finding an alternative system to the fore.
At present there are about 13 million people on the NHS organ donation register but the actual figure of potential organs is far less as not all of those registered die in a way which is suitable for organ donation.
About 8,000 people in the UK need organ donation but only 3,000 transplants are carried out each year; on average one patient a day is dying on the transplant waiting list.
Earlier this year the chief medical officer Sir Liam Donaldson said an 'opt out' system similar to ones used in some European countries should be implemented to meet the demand.
The health secretary Alan Johnson has asked the organ donation taskforce today to consider this system of presumed consent.
Issues to be explored include moral and ethical implications such as whether the family of the deceased should be given a final say on the donation of any organs.
Mr Johnson said "everything possible" needs to be done to increase organ donation.
"I want to see organ donation and transplant rates start to rise and match the rates seen in some other European countries enabling us to save many more lives," he added.
"This is a sensitive issue, but it is vital that all possible options for increasing the number of organs available for transplant are explored."
The British Medical Association (BMA), which has been campaigning for a review of organ donation for a number of years, described Mr Johnson's decision as "very good news indeed".
"We believe that when the taskforce looks at this issue in detail they will agree with us that a system of presumed consent with safeguards, will help to increase the number of donors available," said the BMA's head of ethics and science Dr Vivienne Nathanson.
She added that the public need to be informed of the choices they can make about donation before any changes take place.