Waiting in vain for a call to save a life
NEW figures released by the NHS show 134 people in Lancashire have died on the waiting list for an organ transplant over the past decade.
NHS Blood and (NHSBT) revealed the figures to mark Organ Donation Week (September 4 to 10) and is now urging people to tell their families they want to become donors.
It said that hundreds of lifesaving transplants were being missed every year because families didn’t know what their relative wanted.
When left to make the decision for someone they love, families often decide it is safer to say no – but the reluctance to talk about the issue is Transplant contributing to a deadly shortage of organs.
In Lancashire, there are 133 people waiting for a transplant, and they will only receive that life-changing call if people make sure their families know they want to be a donor.
Anthony Clarkson, assistant director of organ donation and transplantation for NHSBT, said: “It’s a tragedy that people are dying unnecessarily every year in Lancashire waiting for transplants.
“We know that if everyone who supported donation talked about it and agreed to donate, most of those lives would be saved.
“This Organ Donation Week, tell your family you want to save lives. A few words now can make an extraordinary difference. It will also make things much easier for your family to make the right decision.
“If you want to save lives, don’t leave it too late to talk to your family.
“In Lancashire, there are more than 521,000 people on the NHS Organ Donor Register.
“However if you want to be a donor, your family’s support is still needed for donation to go ahead.
“If you are unsure about donation, please ask yourselves as a family; what would you do if one of you needed a transplant? Would you accept a life-saving organ? If you’d take an organ, shouldn’t you be prepared to donate?”
There is a particular need for more black and Asian people in Lancashire to talk about donation, as there are 29 black or Asian people from Lancashire waiting for a transplant.
Patients from these communities make up 29% of the national transplant waiting list but they are less likely to agree to donate. Organs from people from the same ethnic background are more likely to be a close match and give the best chance of a positive outcome.
NHS Blood and Transplant surveys show more than 80% of people support organ donation but only about 49% of people have talked about it.
NHS Blood and Transplant wants everyone in Lancashire to be able to save lives through donation and not be prevented from doing so because they have not told a relative.
To support Organ Donation Week, visit www.nhsbt.nhs.uk