St Vincent’s Part of Improving Organ and Tissue Donation Trend

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PDF printable version of St Vincent’s Part of Improving Organ and Tissue Donation Trend (PDF 23 KB)

11 August 2011

Parliamentary Secretary for Health and Ageing Catherine King today highlighted St Vincent’s Hospital in Sydney as typifying the positive impact of the Australian Government’s $151 million National Reform Agenda to increase organ and tissue donation and transplantation.

Ms King today visited St Vincent’s to meet with DonateLife Network and hospital staff, a donor family member and a transplant recipient to discuss progress of the National Reform Agenda.

She said that, under the reforms, key initiatives had been undertaken at St Vincent’s which were having an important impact on the rate of organ and tissue donation at the hospital.

“Additional funding was obtained through the Organ and Tissue Authority from July 2010 for a Hospital Medical Director position at St Vincent’s,” Ms King said.

“Since the appointment in mid-2010 of Dr Suhel Al-Soufi as the DonateLife Hospital Medical Director at St Vincent’s, there have been seven deceased organ donors which is a dramatic increase (268.42%) over the average 1.9 donors a year between 2000 and 2009,” Ms King said.

“The Organ and Tissue Authority has also provided funding to St Vincent’s for a dedicated senior hospital nurse for organ donation.

“The appointment of hospital-based staff dedicated to organ and tissue donation at St Vincent’s has helped to overcome potential barriers to donation for transplantation and consequently lifted donation rates.

“These are the positive initiatives being taken by the Organ and Tissue Authority, not just here at St Vincent’s but across the nation, which are delivering an increasingly positive trend in organ and tissue donation.

“There is still much to be done, but these outcomes are encouraging.”

Ms King said that, year-to-date, there had been 49 deceased solid organ donors in NSW, representing a 58 % increase compared with the 2000-2008 year-to-date baseline of 31 deceased solid organ donors.

The period 2000-2008 are the years immediately prior to the Australian Government launching its National Reform Agenda, which had its first full year of implementation in 2010.

Ms King said the nation’s highest ever organ donation outcome for the month of July was achieved last month with 33 deceased solid organ donors giving a second chance at life to 98 Australians in need of a transplant.

“This year to date we have achieved the highest national organ donation outcome of 201 solid organ donors and the highest transplant recipient outcome of 593 transplant recipients for the same period in any year since national records began. This is an encouraging result, but there is much more work to be done to not only sustain but build on the increases achieved,” said Ms King.

As at end July 2011, there were 201 deceased solid organ donors compared to 174 deceased solid organ donors for the same period in 2010 representing a 16% increase.

This year to date, the number of transplant recipients has increased to 593 transplant recipients compared to 526 for the same period in 2010 representing a 13% increase this year.

For all inquiries, contact the Parliamentary Secretary's office 02 6277 4230