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Wednesday, 4 February 2009

Newsroom

Organ donor numbers double, but more needed

  • Published: Thursday, 22 January 2009

A call to double the number of people on the NHS Organ Donor Register (ODR) to 16 million has been achieved – 12 months before the planned date.

Did you know?

  • You are more likely to need a transplant than become a donor
  • More women than men are on the ODR – 54% and 46% respectively
  • 30% of the people on the NHS Organ Donor Register are aged between 16 and 25 when they join

The appeal was launched in 2001 when the Register stood at 8 million and 5,532 people were waiting for transplant.

Now more than a quarter - 26 per cent of the UK population – have joined the ODR pledging their organs for transplant after their death but the number waiting has risen to almost 8,000 and continues to steadily increase.

Since January 2001, 23,551 life-saving organ transplants have been made possible thanks to the generosity of donors and their families but during the same period, at least 4,500 people died while waiting because a suitable organ could not be found in time.

Lynda Hamlyn, Chief Executive of NHS Blood and Transplant, said: “Reaching 16 million on the NHS Organ Donor Register a year before planned is testament to the support that exists for donation in the UK. More than a quarter of the population have demonstrated their commitment by signing the Register. But, with 8000 people in the UK currently waiting for a life-saving organ transplant, we need to do more."

“Around 3,000 organ transplants take place in this country every year, but during the same period approximately 1,000 people - 3 a day - die while waiting because of the shortage of donated organs.*

Most organ transplants are carried out as a result of donation after death but today at least one in three of all kidney transplants take place through living donation, most often between couples and other family members.

How to join the Register

The most popular ways to join the ODR are through the driver licence application and through applications to register with a new GP practice. Other ways to register include the Boots Advantage Card, passport applications, a number of local authority SmartCard schemes and through the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC).

Joining the Register is easy, call the Organ Donor Line on 0845 60 60 400, visit the website or text GIVE to 84118. Alternatively, write to:

NHSBT
Fox Den Road
Stoke Gifford
Bristol BS34 8RR

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