Patients in Wales waiting for organ transplants have been given new hope after Welsh Conservative MEP Dr Kay Swinburne – working with colleague Marina Yannakoudakis – successfully fought to stop efforts to cut back on living donations.
Marina hailed the vote by the European Parliament’s environment and public health committee as a major boost for living donation, which is often the only solution for patients needing a life-saving transplant.
The original proposal from the European Commission sought to restrict living donations to immediate relatives such as between spouses or parent-to-child.
However, an amendment to the proposal by Kay called for living donation to be permitted providing it can be proved “the donor is not acting for financial gain.”
Kay said organ donations from one friend to another, or between distant relatives, should not be prohibited by the EU.
She added that her amendment would support the development of so-called crossover donations, a procedure in which a number of donors agreed to pool their organs so that a loved one can receive a compatible kidney from a stranger.
The first transplant operation in the UK from a three-way crossover donation (three couples) was carried out at the end of 2009.
Kay took part in Kidney Wales Foundation’s Walk for Life in Cardiff on Sunday to highlight the charity’s important work.
She said:
“Hundreds of people in Wales are living on borrowed time, waiting for an organ to become available. Someone dies every 11 days waiting for a transplant in Wales.
“I was worried that the proposal from the European Commission relating to living donations was far too restrictive and would have made life even more difficult for patients and their families.
“Thankfully a compromise in the committee was reached which allows living donations as long as there’s no financial incentive for the donor.
“Obviously the EU doesn’t want to see the commercialisation of the human body and wants to crack down on organ trafficking.
“However, our first priority must be to save lives and relieve the suffering of patients.
“I’m glad we’ve been able to build adequate safeguards into this proposal regarding living donations. Crossover donations will also open up many more possibilities for patients.”
