27.10.10
Scottish organ donation campaign launched
The Scottish Government launched its new organ donation campaign yesterday, inviting people to register by phone, text or online. The £590,000 campaign will run for three weeks across TV, radio and the internet.
Scotland already has a high register rate, with 37% of the population signed up to donate, compared to the 29% average in the UK. There were 67 people who donated their organs last year in Scotland, which is a rate of 13 donors per million, up from 9.8 donors per million in 2006-07.
Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon said: “I'm appealing, on behalf of those waiting for a transplant and their families, to anyone who has not yet registered to sign up to save a life through the Organ Donor Register. It only takes a few minutes but could mean the difference between life and death for those waiting for a transplant.”
Dr Brian Keighley, chairman of the BMA in Scotland said: “Despite a rise in the number of people signing up to the Organ Donor Register, there are still over 600 people in Scotland waiting for an organ transplant.
“Some of these people will die while they are waiting, whilst others will have died without even reaching the waiting list. Meanwhile, repeated studies show that over 90% of the population supports organ donation, yet only around a third have signed up to the register.
“The BMA believes that a change to an opt-out system for organ donation addresses this problem, by making donation the default position from which people may opt out during their lifetime if they so wish. Given the exceptionally high level of support for donation, this is simply making it easier for people to achieve their wish to donate.”
At the recent SNP conference, delegates backed a resolution calling for the Government to consider an opt-out system of presumed consent. Sturgeon has said she is ‘open’ to the idea.
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