Doctors Applaud Organ Donation Progress

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PDF printable version of Doctors Applaud Organ Donation Progress (PDF 27 KB)

13 June 2011

Australia's senior organ transplant specialists have applauded the best organ donation rates in Australia's history with Victoria achieving the most outstanding results.

President of the Transplantation Society of Australia and New Zealand (TSANZ), Associate Professor Frank Ierino, and Professor Greg Snell from Melbourne's Alfred Hospital today credited much of the increase in organ donation and transplantation outcomes to better coordination and cooperation in Australian public hospitals.

They were responding to a performance update released by the Parliamentary Secretary for Health and Ageing, Catherine King, on implementation of the Australian Government’s $151 million four-year national reform agenda to increase Australia’s organ and tissue donation rates for transplantation.

"Australia has achieved a 19 per cent increase in organ donation and transplantations in the first five months of this year, compared to same period for 2010, with 416 Australians receiving life-saving and life-changing transplants from 141 deceased organ donors," Ms King said.

According to Professor Ierino, a major contributor to the success in encouraging families to uphold the donation wishes of their loved one at a time of grief and loss is the better coordination of services at the coal face, in the hospitals resulting from the national reform agenda.

“The appointment of 234 staff, including 162 clinical specialists of organ and tissue donation, located in 77 hospitals nationally, led by a DonateLife State Medical Director, is making a real difference,” Professor Ierino said.

Ms King said that coordination and collaboration in the hospital system was key to the success of increasing organ and tissue donation.

“This includes careful analysis and audit of hospital performance to identify national best practice and intensive training of the right clinical staff to increase consent rates,” Ms King said.

“I congratulate all the states and territories for their sensible, collaborative and measured approach to the reform agenda and the efforts they are making to ensure it succeeds.

“I look forward to working closely with the DonateLife Network and hospitals to ensure the ongoing success of the national reform agenda.”

Ms King said the performance update showed that Victoria had made a significant contribution to lifting donation rates.

“In the first five months of 2011, Victoria achieved a substantial 27 per cent increase in the number of transplant recipients compared to the same period in 2010, with 128 transplant recipients’ lives being saved or improved,” she said.

“Victoria’s year-to-date 2011 results build on 2010 outcomes in which Victoria achieved the highest donation rate since national records began with 98 Victorian organ donors saving or improving the lives of 286 transplant recipients.

“If Victoria continues the year-to-date trend, it will set a new precedent again,” Ms King said.

Professor Snell said Victoria has performed more lung transplant surgeries in the past five months than would normally have been performed in previous whole calendar years.

“It is incredibly rewarding to be part of the new national reform program which is clearly saving more lives,” he said.

Other states also did well in 2010 compared to historical performance. Australia’s national outcome for organ donors in 2010 shows a 51 per cent increase over the pre-reform 2000-2008 baseline. The state and territory contribution is:

	Baseline 2000-2008 Donors	Total 2010 Donors	Percentage Change	2010 Donors per million population
NSW	53.2	87	+ 63%	12.4
VIC	48.4	98	+ 102%	17.7
QLD	40.7	49	+ 20%	10.8
SA	30.3	31	+ 2%	18.8
WA	21.0	22	+ 5%	9.6
TAS	3.7	10	+ 173%	19.7
NT	2.2	2	- 10%	8.7
ACT	5.7	10	+ 76%	17.3
AUS	205	309	+ 51%	13.8

“The challenge ahead, which has been endorsed by the DonateLife Network, is to maintain and strengthen the dedicated organ donation networks within hospitals which start with the identification of all potential donors through to counselling of families at the point of donation, and coordinating the donation and organ allocation process for transplantation,” Ms King said.

“There are still many challenges ahead to adapt work practices that will support higher rates of organ and tissue donation but Australia is making progress in meeting the needs of the 1,602 people waiting for life-saving and life-improving transplants as at 2 May 2011.”

Background:

The Organ and Tissue Authority’s May 2011 performance update shows that in 2010, the first full year of implementation of the national reform agenda on organ and tissue donation for transplantation, 309 organ donors saved and improved the lives of 931 Australians; this was the highest donation rate since national records began.

The May 2011 year to date outcome (141 organ donors) represents a 19% increase on the equivalent year to date period in 2010 (118 organ donors). It is also well ahead of the equivalent 2009 period (94 organ donors) and the equivalent baseline period (85.7 organ donors).

The rapid increase in organ donations has meant that in 2010 there were 931 transplant recipients. The 2010 result represents a 17% increase over the 2009 total of 799 recipients and is the highest transplantation number in recorded history. The 2010 outcome represents a 32% increase on the baseline of 703 transplant recipients.

The May 2011 year to date national outcome of 416 transplant recipients represents a 19% increase on the equivalent year to date period in 2010 (350 transplant recipients). It is also well ahead of the equivalent 2009 period (300 transplant recipients) and the equivalent baseline period (293 transplant recipients).

For more information, please contact the Parliamentary Secretary's Office on (02) 6277 4230