Voice Of Scotland

November 3, 2005

The Scottish Executive is launching a fresh bid to get people to sign up to the organ donor register.

We spoke to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary's consultant transplant surgeon, Murap Akyo to find out just how vital organ donation is.

Murap said: "Scotland has a shortage of donor organs.

"In the last five years around 60 people on the waiting list for a liver transplant have died and a further 60 have been too sick to have the operation

"In public opinion polls 90 per cent of people said they are in favour of organ donation, yet many of the organs which could save lives are not being donated.

"Around 40 per cent of families who are asked for consent to use their relatives' organs say no because they are unsure of their loved ones' wishes.

"It's a terribly hard decision for people experiencing grief to make, but if families have discussed the issue or signed the donor register then the whole process would be made slightly easier for everyone involved.

"If family members know of their loved ones' wishes then it makes the decision far less painful for them.

"Another reason why the number of organs donated is so low is because there are a number of myths about organ donation.

"For instance, some people think that if doctors know you are an organ donor they will not put in as much effort into saving your life or they think their life support machine may be turned off in order to save organs even if their is a chance you could recover.

"This is all nonsense because the matter of transplantation never arises until the person has been declared dead and is not an issue for doctors in intensive care or wherever a person is being treated. It is only an issue for the transplant team.

"Another problem is that transplantation has become a victim of its own success. It is no longer an experimental treatment and is now a vital part of saving lives. We now also take on patients like older people and people in slightly higher risk categories.

"So while the number of donor organs we need has increased, the number available is steadily decreasing."

For more information click on www.uktransplant.org.uk or call the NHS organ donor helpline on 0845 60 60 400.

Copyright © 2005 Daily Record.co.uk.

This article posted November 27, 2005.