Victorians lead way in organ donation

MORE than one Victorian a day is now being saved with an organ transplant as the state’s selfless donors and world-leading specialists race ahead in the quest for renewed life.

New figures show Victoria has blitzed the rest of the nation in terms of organ donations, with almost 30 per cent of all Australian transplants in 2017 occurring thanks to a deceased Victorian and the gen- erosity of their families.

Last year Victoria set a new national record with 389 transplant recipients receiving a lifesaving gift from 148 deceased donors.

State Health Minister Jill Hennessy praised the generosity of Victorians and dedication of healthcare workers.

“Our doctors consistently go the extra mile, looking at every possible way to support organ donation and save lives — and I’m incredibly proud that their hard work has led to Victoria achieving the highest number of organ donors by any state on record,” she said.

Across Australia 1402 recipients received a second chance last year from 510 deceased organ donors, a slight decrease on the 1447 lives transformed in 2016.

A further 273 living donors gave a kidney or partial liver to save or improve the life of another Australian, while 9600 people benefited from eye and tissue transplants.

However, the latest report on Australian transplants shows the rates of donation vary greatly across the nation, with some states going backwards as others forge ahead.

While some states recorded donation rates of 36.5 donors per million population in 2017, others have dropped to just 12.2 donors for every million residents, leading for calls for jurisdictions to works more closely together.

Instant organ donor registration is available at register.donatelife.gov.au