100,000 Welsh Register as Organ Donors Ahead of An Historic Change in Donation Laws

Wales will move to a “soft opt-out” system which means people agree on presumed consent for donating organs after death unless they state against it.

After Wales government announced that it has planned to implement a ‘soft opt-out system’ for organ donation, it has received a huge support from its citizens.

More than 100,000 people have registered to become organ donors in the past four years ahead of an historic change in donation laws, a new report has revealed.

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Wales will become the first country in the UK to introduce opt-out system on December 1. The new system makes it easier for people to choose whether or not to become organ donors.

According to all-Wales annual report for organ donation, the number of people dying while waiting on a transplant list has reduced from 49 in 2010-11 to 12 in 2014-15. Last year, there were 71 deceased organ donors compared to 60 in 2013-14 and 52 in 2012-13.

Also around 109,000 people joined the organ donation register over the same period – an increase from 30% to 34%. But the Welsh Government admits much more needs to be done to increase organ donation rates in Wales. While nine out of 10 people in Wales support organ donation, only one in three people are on the register.

The report has been published as 150 healthcare professionals from across NHS Wales meet in Cardiff for the ‘Towards 2020: Organ Donation and Transplantation in Wales’ conference.

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From December 1, Wales will move to a “soft opt-out” system which means people in Wales will be presumed to have agreed for their organs to be donated after death unless they state otherwise. With its implementation, Wales will become the first country in the UK to introduce a new organ donation system.The soft-opt-out system is intented to bring a 25% increase in the number of organ donors.

Health Minister Mark Drakeford said, “From December, we will be introducing a revolutionary new system for organ donation, which will make a real difference to people waiting for a transplant. Last year, 12 people in Wales died while waiting for a transplant – the change in the law will help us address this by making more organs available for transplantation.”

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People who have donated the organs of their loved ones, as well as people who need the organs are strong supporters of the new rule.

“This report highlights the progress we have made to date in increasing awareness about organ donation but it also illustrates the barriers and issues we still face. It shows our move to a soft opt-out system which will help save lives is as important as ever,” he added.

Source-Medindia

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A public campaign showed that obtaining consent from family for organ donation remains as the biggest challenge in increasing organ transplant numbers.