The annual DonateLife Week, which runs until Sunday (2 August) is promoting organ and tissue donation, urging Australians to discuss the subject with their families and calling on as many people as possible to register as a donor with the Australian Organ Donor Register.
Minister for Regional Health, Mark Coulton said the dedicated week was a key part of a national program to increase organ and tissue donation and transplantation outcomes.
“With around 1,700 Australians on the waiting list for a life-saving transplant at any time and a further 12,000 on dialysis, the demand for donors has never been greater,” Mr Coulton said.
“I encourage every Australian to have that all-important conversation with their family about becoming a donor and to get online and register.”
He said the reality was that no country in the world ever had enough donated organs to meet demand for transplantation, so it was critical that more Australians registered to be donors, and talked to their family about it.
He said the results of a community awareness survey commissioned by the Organ and Tissue Authority (OTA) in May, confirmed previous data that showed the majority of Australians supported organ and tissue donation.
Chief Executive of the OTA, Lucinda Barry said people should not rule themselves out even if they believed they had lived an unhealthy life or had suffered illness.
“Let doctors make that decision if and when the time comes,” Ms Barry said.
“If you are unable to donate organs, you could still transform the lives of others by donating tissue, such as bone, skin or corneas, which could help someone suffering burns, a limb amputation or facing blindness.
She said it takes less than a minute to register to be a donor at donatelife.gov.au.’
“All you need is your Medicare number,” Ms Barry said.
