Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
Healthy uptake on donation decision
New figures released to coincide with this week’s Organ and Tissue Donation Week reveal almost half (48.2 per cent) of people in the NHS Lanarkshire area have now registered their donation decision.
As the week marks the six-month anniversary of Scotland’s move to an opt out system of organ and tissue donation, figures show 45.5 per cent of Lanarkshire residents have recorded a decision to be a donor, with 2.7 per cent choosing to opt out.
The opt out system was introduced in March to save and improve lives, meaning that if people aged 16 and over haven’t opted out of donation, they will be considered a possible donor if they die in circumstances in which they could donate.
Under the opt out system everyone has a choice – to be a donor, or opt out of donation – but it’s important to make that decision known.
If people choose to do nothing, it will be assumed they have agreed to donate certain organs and tissue for transplantation, unless they’re in a group for whom the law doesn’t apply.
In Scotland, there are an average of around 500 people waiting on an organ transplant, however only around one per cent of people die in a way that makes organ donation possible.
Dr Nina Tatarkowska, consultant in anaesthetics and intensive care, clinical lead for organ donation at University Hospital Hairmyres, said:“it’s encouraging to see the number of people in the area who have recorded their donation decision. Organ and tissue donation remains a personal choice, but it’s important to make your decision known.
“You can record your decision at any time on the NHS Organ Donor Register. Sharing that decision with family is also important, as having that knowledge can make it easier for them to honour it.”
Minister for Public Health, Maree Todd, added:“we have made tremendous progress in increasing donation and transplantation rates in Scotland over the last decade, with the move to opt out part of a package of measures to reduce the number of people in Scotland waiting for a transplant at any one time.”