Transplants hit record levels after donor surge

THE number of Scots having lifesaving transplants has soared to a record high.

New figures reveal that 430 patients were given organs last year, compared to 415 in the previous 12 months.

In addition, 133 Scots who died donated their organs, an increase of 34 per cent.

Scotland now has the UK’s highest donor rate – at 24.8 per million of population – as the SNP pushes for a new law to make organ donation automatic unless people opt out.

Of the 430 Scots who received a transplant in 2016-17, 348 of the organs were from deceased donors, with an additional 82 kidneys from living donors.

Public Health Minister Aileen Campbell welcomed the NHS Blood and Transplant figures and said the Scottish Government would publish its plans for the future of organ donation later this year.

Currently, around 45 per cent of the Scottish population is registered as organ donors – nearly 2.4 million people.

But the SNP wants to put all Scots over the age of 16 on the NHS Organ Donor Register unless they officially opt out. This could result in organs being taken from the dead without their explicit prior consent. Miss Campbell said ‘real progress’ was being made on organ donation.

‘An increase in deceased donor numbers of 34 per cent is not only really positive news for people waiting for a transplant, it puts us ahead of our target in progressing to reach 26 deceased donors per million of population by 2020,’ she said.

‘And it means that more Scottish residents than ever before received a life-changing transplant, although we know that there is still more to do to ensure that as many people as possible can receive the transplants they need.

‘We must always be mindful that most organ and tissue donation can only occur as a result of tragic circumstances and I’d like to thank every donor and their family who made the selfless decision to donate their organs or tissue and enabled others to live and transform their lives.

‘I’m also very grateful to staff across the NHS in Scotland who work tirelessly to ensure that people’s donation wishes are respected and that every donation counts.’

Miss Campbell added: ‘Our consultation on a soft opt-out system closed recently and the responses are currently being independently analysed. We have a presumption in favour and will be setting out our next steps in the coming months.’

‘Transform their lives’