Dr Chris Steele discusses pros and cons of opt-in and opt-out organ donation procedures.

The Government want to change the system of organ donation.

The Background
There are 8,000 people waiting for donors, yet just 3,000 transplants are carried out each year.

400 people will die waiting for a donor.

The NHS Organ Donor Register (ODR) is a confidential, computerised database operated and maintained by UK Transplant - a Special Health Authority within the NHS.

To meet demand for organs the number of signatures on the ODR would need to almost treble.

90% of the UK population support organ donation. Yet fewer than a quarter are signed up to the ODR.

The first heart transplant took place in 1968.

Other countries, including Spain, France, Italy and Norway, already run successful opt-out systems.

People currently have to opt in to be donors by carrying a card or ticking a box on a driving licence.

So the system in the UK is "Opt-in" - you need to make a decision to be a donor and register this fact with the ODR. People can opt for any part of their body to be transplanted or for specific organs only, such as kidneys, heart, lungs, liver, pancreas and corneas. This ensures that after a person has died, the register can be used to immediately identify those who are willing to donate their organs for transplant.

Proposed changes
Health Secretary Alan Johnson asked the organ donation taskforce to look at whether all adults should be automatically included on the register. Every adult would automatically appear on the national organ donor register under proposals being considered by the Government. Ministers are looking at changing the law so that individuals who object to the idea on religious or moral grounds must opt out.

Dr Chris's Point of View
Dr Chris says : "There is such a shortage of donors, people rarely think about it, but this will bring it to their attention. It will make 1000's more organs available for transplant, as people might not opt out, because they forget, but it will mean that their organs are available. It's a great step forward."

So What's Your Point of View?
So what is your point of view? Share your thoughts on TheFamilyGP's talk boards here : Organ Donation - what's your point of view?


This content was created on Wed 26 September 2007

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