New figures released by the Organ and Tissue Authority show that the lives of 1,683 Australians were saved by organ transplants last year.
Minister for Regional Health, Mark Coulton said the donation of organs by 787 donors had made the life-saving transplants possible.
“Thanks to 548 deceased organ donors and their families, 113 hearts, 857 kidneys, 183 lungs, 308 livers and 40 pancreases were gifted to 1,444 people through Australia’s organ donor program, DonateLife,” Mr Coulton said.
He said there had also been 239 living donations of kidney and liver organs in 2019.
“Forty-nine of these living kidney transplants were made possible by the recently expanded Australian and New Zealand Kidney Exchange Program, that is increasing access to life-saving kidney transplants for residents of both countries,” Mr Coulton said.
He said the data showed an increase in the number of potential donors identified in Australian hospitals and an increase in the number of families who had agreed to donate their deceased loved ones’ organs.
“Our 275 dedicated donation specialists work tirelessly across 98 hospitals nationwide to ensure best clinical practice and to support families through organ and tissue donation, resulting in more people benefiting from a lifesaving transplant whenever it is possible,” Mr Coulton said.
“Australians are a nation of givers,” he said.
“We’re calling on that Aussie spirit to ask all Australians to take a minute and register as an organ and tissue donor at donatelife.gov.au and, importantly, tell their family,” he said.
