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Organ Donor rates on the rise
Posted 16 September 2011
Organ donation rates are on the rise in Australia, with donation rates set to break the record in 2011.
There were 309 donations sent to 931 recipients in 2010, the best result in the past decade, according to the Australia and New Zealand Donation Registry.
Up to July this year, there had already been 201 donors, a 27-donor rise compared to the same period last year.
A $136.4 million national reform package initiated by the Australian Government in 2008 funded more than 150 work positions in 76 hospitals, allowing these workers to concentrate on the identification of possible donors.
Parliamentary Secretary of Health and Ageing Catherine King said the increase in donations was a good outcome, but only the start of more to come.
“This is an encouraging result, but there is much more work to be done to not only sustain but build on the increases achieved,” she said .
Family issues are the major roadblock in the decision to donate organs, with many people avoiding discussing the topic with their loved ones, according to DonateLife, the Australian Organ and Tissue Authority.
The authority said that 40% of Australians did not know the donation wishes of their family members.
There were 309 donations sent to 931 recipients in 2010, the best result in the past decade, according to the Australia and New Zealand Donation Registry.
Up to July this year, there had already been 201 donors, a 27-donor rise compared to the same period last year.
A $136.4 million national reform package initiated by the Australian Government in 2008 funded more than 150 work positions in 76 hospitals, allowing these workers to concentrate on the identification of possible donors.
Parliamentary Secretary of Health and Ageing Catherine King said the increase in donations was a good outcome, but only the start of more to come.
“This is an encouraging result, but there is much more work to be done to not only sustain but build on the increases achieved,” she said .
Family issues are the major roadblock in the decision to donate organs, with many people avoiding discussing the topic with their loved ones, according to DonateLife, the Australian Organ and Tissue Authority.
The authority said that 40% of Australians did not know the donation wishes of their family members.
Facts and Figures*
- The majority of Australians (77%) are generally willing to become organ and tissue donors.
- Australia’s family consent rate is low, with less than 60% of families giving consent for organ and tissue donation to proceed.
- The most important thing that helps a family’s decision is their knowing the wishes of their loved one. Forty per cent of Australians do not know the donation wishes of their loved ones.
- The majority of Australians (93%) say they would uphold the donation wishes of family members if they were aware of their wishes.
- The majority of Australians (78%) recognise it is important to discuss their donation wishes with the people close to them.
- Less than one in five Australians (17%) have had memorable discussions with their loved ones about their donation wishes.
- The majority of Australians (83%) have either never discussed their donation wishes (37%), not really discussed their donation wishes (15%), or only had a brief discussion (31%).
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