Only 25% have joined Organ Donor Register

Nov 3 2009 by Helen Rae, The Journal

ONLY 25% of people in the North East have joined the Organ Donor Register – one of the lowest rates in the country.

The news comes as the first UK-wide campaign to promote organ donation was launched yesterday to boost the numbers on the donor register.

There are currently 267 people waiting for an organ transplant in the North East, with 14 people dying last year while waiting for an organ.

In the region there are 668,704 people on the organ donation register.

Research shows that while 96% of people said they would accept a transplant if needed, only a quarter have volunteered to donate their organs after death.

Lynda Hamlyn, chief executive of NHS Blood and Transplant, said: “Many people have told us that they just need a nudge to motivate them to join the Organ Donor Register and commit to helping someone live after their death.

“By focusing on the gap between the number of us who say we would accept an organ if we needed one and the number who have actually joined the register, our campaign highlights the urgent need for those who believe in organ donation to act now.”

Kaylee Davison, of Houghton-le- Spring, knows how important organ donation is as she would not be alive today without the generosity of a donor. At just five months old she became the first baby to survive a heart transplant. Kaylee had the heart transplant at Newcastle’s Freeman Hospital on October 14, 1987.

Now 22, Kaylee said: “Receiving a heart made the difference between life and death for me. I believe that if you would be willing to take an organ, you should join the Organ Donor Register. Please – do it today.”

More than 10,000 people in the UK need a transplant. Of these, more than 1,000 die every year before they receive an organ. The ethics committee of the Royal College of Physicians has called for an examination of “mandated choice” as a means of boosting the supply of organs.

People can join the NHS Organ Donor Register by calling 0300 123-2323 or visit www.organdonation.nhs.uk

The percentage of population on Organ Donor Register at October 21, 2009, by region: was National: 27%; Scotland: 33.6%; South West: 33.1%; South East Coast: 31%; East of England: 28.7%; South Central: 28.2%; Wales: 27.4%; Northern Ireland: 26.9%; East Midlands: 26.1%; Yorkshire and Humberside: 26%; North West: 25.4%; North East: 25.3%; London: 23.1%; West Midlands: 22.7%.