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People in Merseyside urged to donate
as heart transplant waiting list up by 24% this Christmas
MERSEYSIDE residents are being urged to
support organ donation as figures show the number of people spending Christmas
on the heart transplant waiting list is 24% up on last Christmas. In Merseyside,
there are currently 5 people on the heart transplant waiting list. On
Merseyside, 111 people are recorded on the UK Transplant Registry as ever having
received a heart only transplant.
Nationally, there are currently 298 people on
the waiting list for a heart transplant compared to 240 people last Christmas.
NHS Blood and Transplant is urging people to tell their families they wish to
donate to help with the deadly shortage of organs.
For most patients on the
heart transplant waiting list, all other medical options have been exhausted,
and a donated organ is their only hope. Since last Christmas Day, 31 people
across the country have died while on the waiting list for a heart transplant.
The Department of Health recently launched a consultation into an 'opt out'
system of organ donation for England. Under the proposed system, you would be a
donor unless you don't want to donate.
Sally Johnson, NHS Blood and Transplant Director of Organ Donation and
Transplantation said:- "Hundreds of people are spending Christmas waiting
for a call that might never come. Their families will be spending the festive
period living with fear and uncertainty. We desperately need more people in
Merseyside to agree to donation to help with the number of people waiting for
hearts and organs of every kind. Whatever the outcome of the Opt Out
consultation, if you support organ donation, please act today. Tell your family
you want to donate and join the NHS Organ Donor Register."
The 50th Anniversary of the UKs 1st heart transplant is in May. Nearly 7,000
people are recorded as having received heart transplants in the UK since the 1st operation, though the historical data is not complete. Heart transplants
are still uncommon, with around 200 operations a year. |
