South Australians Urged to Ask and Know Each Other’s Donation Wishes
Parliamentary Secretary for Health and Ageing Catherine King has urged South Australians to ask and know the organ and tissue donation wishes of their family members.
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17 May 2012
Parliamentary Secretary for Health and Ageing Catherine King today urged South Australians to ask and know the organ and tissue donation wishes of their family members.
Ms King spoke during her visit to Flinders Medical Centre where she met with DonateLife Network staff to discuss progress of the Australian Government’s national reform agenda to increase organ and tissue donation outcomes.
Ms King acknowledged the dedication of organ and tissue donation staff at Flinders Medical Centre, where they are focused on increasing family consent rates by delivering a professional clinical and medical program, providing donor family support services and promoting organ and tissue donation through community education services.
Flinders Medical Centre is one of two major trauma centres in South Australia providing state-wide services that include the SA Liver Transplant Service and the Eye Bank of SA, and cardiac surgery services to the South East and to the Northern Territory.
Ms King said, “Outcomes for patients after liver transplantation at the Flinders Medical Centre are excellent and can be attributed to a highly dedicated team of health professionals who provide a specialised service to those in need of, and those who have received a liver transplant.”
This year the SA Liver Transplant Unit celebrates 20 years of liver transplantation. Since 1992 more than 240 liver transplants have been performed there, and the number of transplants is increasing every year.
“In addition, the Eye Bank of South Australia this year celebrates its thirtieth anniversary. It has provided tissue for more than 4,000 corneal transplants which has enabled many patients to regain clear vision. The success of the Eye Bank would not have been possible without the generosity of donor families from all over South Australia.
“To continue to increase Australia’s family consent rate, we need every Australian family to ask and know each other’s donation wishes. Families that know each other’s wishes are more likely to uphold those wishes.”
Research commissioned by the Organ and Tissue Authority shows that one in three Australians who have not discussed their organ and tissue donation wishes with their family don’t know how to start the conversation.
Ms King recently announced the launch of Facebook’s Organ Donor option, which has the potential to help Australians register their donation decision on the Australian Organ Donor Register and share their decision with family and friends.
To indicate you are a registered organ and tissue donor on your Facebook Timeline, click on ‘Life Event’, select ‘Health and Wellbeing’ and choose ‘organ donor’. And if you have not registered on the Australian Organ Donor Register, make sure to click on the ‘sign up here with the appropriate registry’ link to make your decision to be an organ and tissue donor official.
"The Facebook Timeline does not replace the need for Australians to register their decision to become an organ and tissue donor on the Australian Organ Donor Register (AODR), Australia's only nationally recognised register for organ and tissue donation for transplantation.
In 2011 Australia achieved its highest organ donation rate of 337 deceased organ donors and its highest transplant recipient outcome of 1,001 transplant recipients since national records began.
"At the end of the second full year of the national reform agenda, one in five transplant recipients (or an additional 202) can be attributed directly to the increase in organ donors. In 2009, there were 799 transplant recipients compared with 1,001 in 2011," Ms King said.
For more information: www.donatelife.gov.au or http://www.facebook.com/DonateLifeAustralia
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