Page 631 - Week 02 - Wednesday, 9 March 2011
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The organisation DonateLife has launched a campaign called “it’s OK” that urges all of us to discover, decide and discuss. The campaign encourages us to discover what organ and tissue donation means, how it works and the impact of what it will have.
Discovering the facts about organ and tissue donation is easy. DonateLife and the Gift of Life both have extensive websites and a phone line from which you will get comprehensive information. On discovering the facts about organ and tissue donation, I learnt that there are currently about 1,700 people waiting for a transplant. These people wait between six months and four years to receive a transplant, and some of these people will, sadly, die while waiting for a transplant donation.
I also learnt that the impact of a single donation is immense. In 2010, there were 309 donors in Australia who saved 931 lives between them. In the ACT in 2010 there were 10 donors who saved 32 lives between them. Our success rate of corneal donations puts us amongst the top five in the world. In 2008, 1,096 people donated corneas, giving 1,696 people the gift of sight. Australia has amongst the highest survival rates for transplant recipients and this success rate is growing every day.
I learnt, in discovering about organ and tissue donation, that many of the stories spread about donation can be untrue. Many people believe that their religious beliefs prevent them from donating, but a simple discussion with their religious adviser may enlighten them that in fact their beliefs may be more supportive of donation than they indeed believe.
Some people believe that once doctors see that they have chosen to be an organ and tissue donor they will not strive so hard to save their life. And I think you made the point well, Mr Assistant Speaker: the duty of doctors and nurses is first to the patient in front of them, and in most cases they will not even be aware of the decision until after a patient is declared legally dead.
Many people also believe that they are too unhealthy or too old to be a donor, that smoking, being overweight or having a medical condition may prevent you from becoming a donor. However, the restrictions on donors are very limited and there is every chance that some of your organs and tissues can be used. Your donation will only be used for a transplant. It will not be used for medical research unless you expressly consent to that.
Possibly the most important myth that must be busted in discovering about organ and tissue donation is that you do not need to do anything to become a donor. In fact, you must first decide. DonateLife and Gift of Life urge us to make the active decision to become a donor. There are several ways in which you can make your decision clear.
The Australian organ donation register was established in 2000 and is the only national register of your decision to donate. The register ensures that medical personnel can access the decision seven days a week, 24 hours a day, and anyone over the age of 16 can register by visiting their website or popping in to their local Medicare office.
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