A call to double the number of people on the NHS Organ Donor Register (ODR) to 16 million has been achieved – 12 months before the planned date.
The appeal was launched in 2001 by former Health Secretary Alan Milburn when the Register stood at 8 million and 5,532 people were waiting for transplant. Now more than a quarter – 26% of the UK population – have joined the ODR pledging their organs for transplant after their death. Since January 2001, 23,551 life-saving organ transplants were performed. However, at least 4,500 people died while waiting as a suitable organ could not be found in time. Lynda Hamlyn, chief executive of NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT), said: “Reaching 16 million on the NHS Organ Donor Register a year before planned is testament to the support that exists for donation in the UK. But, with 8,000 people in the UK waiting for a life-saving organ transplant, we need to do more.” Health Minister Ann Keen commented: “We remain firmly committed to helping many more people benefit from a transplant and want to see organ donation rates rise significantly over the next four years from the current 800 donors to 1,400 per year by March 2013.”
