Too many Children die waiting for op

Too many children die while waiting for an organ donation in the UK, health officials have said.

NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) said that last year, 22 adults and 10 children died on the waiting list for a heart transplant or within one year of being removed from the list. It added that some people were removed from the list because they were too unwell to cope with the surgery.

Overall 470 people waiting for new organs died while on the transplant waiting list, including 14 children aged 18 or under, or within one year of removal.

The organisation said that during Organ Donation Week, which runs to September 10, people should strike up a conversation with their loved ones to let them know whether they would like to be a donor.

The comments from NHSBT come as a four-year-old girl is starting school with a new heart.

The parents of Evie Doherty praised the family of the organ donor, saying they made a “selfless decision at a terrible time” which gave their daughter the gift of life.

Figures from NHSBT show that 43 under-16s had heart transplants last year.

Overall there were 383 heart transplants in adults and children in 2017-18.

Anthony Clarkson, NHS Blood and Transplant’s associate medical director for organ donation, told the Press Association: “It’s lovely to see Evie going to school thanks to an organ donor.

“Sadly too many children still die waiting for a transplant.

“Please tell your family you want to donate this Organ Donation Week.

“A few words can make an extraordinary difference.”

As of August 25, there were 6,414 people on the transplant waiting list – of these, 36 were aged under 18.

Typically, children on the waiting list wait 463 days for a non-urgent heart transplant, and 70 days for an urgent heart transplant.

For more information about the Organ Donor Register visit www. organdonation.nhs.uk or call 0300 123 23 23.