Page 3580 - Week 12 - Thursday, 20 September 1990
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difficulties. The educative side of such a scheme emphasises the need for people wishing to become donors to discuss their wishes with their families and loved ones. They are also encouraged to sign a donor organ notification card which will alert medical staff to the fact that the person consents to offer their organs after death.
Another reason why donor organs have been scarce is the lack of a coordinated approach to finding people who are willing to donate their organs. Nearly all States now have organ donation notification schemes. Consequently, more and more people are becoming identified as prospective donors. With a greater pool of prospective donors there is a greater chance of matching a donor with a recipient. The schemes allow the process of tissue typing and matching to be commenced much earlier than if there was no identification that a person wishes to donate organs should they die. The time factor in removing organs so vital to the lives of others is crucial.
Tomorrow I will be launching the ACT organ donor notification scheme at 12.30 at the Canberra Centre. The ACT scheme is simple, but will be highly effective in its goal of encouraging people to become organ donors. This is an important issue for the Canberra community. As children and adults in our Territory suffer and die from organ failure, we must all consider the thought that their only possible hope comes from other members of the community who agree to donate their organs after death.
The ACT scheme consists of an organ donor notification card which the person fills in and signs in front of a witness. People are asked to identify which organs they consent to donate for transplant and/or other therapeutic, medical or scientific purposes. The donor may indicate all or any of these things. Before organs are retrieved it is the practice to fully discuss the donation with the next of kin if they can be contacted.
This allows the next of kin to contribute to the decision making process and have the opportunity to be fully informed of the processes involved. I must state that doctors not associated with transplant must declare the donor dead before a transplant team is contacted.
Mr Collaery: It did not look like that in Jesus of Montreal.
MR HUMPHRIES: I have not seen that film, Mr Collaery, so I would not know. Associated with the card is a small blue sticker which the person attaches to their driver's licence. At a fatal accident the ambulance drivers, police and other attendants always look in the person's wallet or purse for identification purposes. They will see the distinctive blue sticker which will alert them to the fact that the person has agreed to donate their organs should they die. They can then alert transplant teams. Timing is crucial in transplant procedures. Organs must usually be transplanted within 24 hours or 48 hours, sometimes sooner.
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