The Kidney Wales Foundation yesterday launched a campaign asking people across the UK to back moves to an opt out organ donation campaign.
The Charity which led calls to move to an opt out system leading to the Welsh Assembly Government announcing in December 2009 that Wales would be the first part of the UK to move to such a system. Whilst Wales is able to move alone in changing systems, yesterday’s call asks the rest of the UK to follow suit.
The First Minister for Wales, Carwyn Jones AM , told the Observer that he hoped opt-out could be in place before the Welsh assembly elections next spring. “We have decided on soft presumed consent, where relatives can veto organ donation, because we want to make it as easy as possible,” he said.
“At the moment, if people are not carrying donor cards then it is presumed they didn’t want to be a donor. If we presume everyone does – unless certain conditions are met– we don’t want to be in a position where we are taking organs against the wishes of the family. There is no question of that.”
Any Welsh person dying outside the country would not come under the scheme unless relatives were available to give consent. Likewise, a hospital would have to consult the family of anyone non-Welsh who died inside the country. Organs would never be taken from someone whose family could not be traced.
Roy J. Thomas, Chairman of Kidney Wales Foundation who launched the report “Time to save lives: A soft opt out system for the UK to coincide with the campaign launch in it he said:
“The time has come for a change in our attitudes to organ donation in the United Kingdom. Despite decades of campaigning, only 28% of people have joined the organ donor register in the UK – yet study after study shows that most people would wish to donate their organs.
International experience shows that the most effective way to increase the number of organs donated is to move to an opt out system of organ donation. A position supported by most clinicians and the public.
The reality is that people in the UK are dying, at a rate of 3 per day. This switch will save lives. Wales has moved first, now we thrown down the gauntlet to the rest of the UK to follow suit.”
Helena Jones, 77, of Glynneath in Neath Port Talbot, strongly supports the foundation’s campaign for an opt-out system after four of her five children underwent kidney transplants.
She said it was important the rest of the UK followed Wales. “I think it’s brilliant but is it going to work if the whole of the country doesn’t join?” she said.
“None of my children have had their transplants in Wales. I would like to see the whole of the UK do it.
“Maybe if Wales goes first, the rest of the UK will follow.”
Her daughter Helen’s new kidney actually came from Barcelona in Spain, she added.
She said she was hugely grateful to the people who were willing to donate their organs and give her children a new lease of life.
“What I would say to people is that although it’s very, very hard, people die every day,” she said.
“If you could see my children now and how grateful I am getting my children back their lives, it’s brilliant.
People can add their support to the campaign at www.optingforlife.org
