South Australians Urged to Make Their Donation Wish Count
Parliamentary Secretary for Health and Ageing Catherine King and Federal Member for Hindmarsh Steve Georganas have reminded South Australian families of the need to discuss and know each other’s organ and tissue donation decisions to make their wish count.
View by date:
Previous MinistersPDF printable version of South Australians Urged to Make Their Donation Wish Count (PDF 236 KB)
Joint Media Release
The Hon Catherine King MP
Parliamentary Secretary for Health and Ageing
Steve Georganas MP
Federal Member for Hindmarsh
6 March 2013Parliamentary Secretary for Health and Ageing Catherine King and Federal Member for Hindmarsh Steve Georganas today reminded South Australian families of the need to discuss and know each other’s organ and tissue donation decisions to make their wish count.
Ms King made this public plea today during her visit to the Royal Adelaide Hospital where she met with DonateLife network staff.
“It was encouraging to see the level of community events in South Australia during DonateLife Week, which ended on Sunday 3 March. We need however to continue to ensure that our family members know our donation decisions, and that we ask and know theirs,” Ms King said.
Research commissioned by the Organ and Tissue Authority showed that 86% of Australians would consent to organ and tissue donation if they knew their loved one was willing. In contrast only 56% said they would consent if the wishes of their loved one were unknown.
In Australia the family of every potential donor is always asked to confirm the donation wishes of their loved one before organ and tissue donation can proceed. Families that have discussed and know the donation wishes of the deceased are more likely to agree to donation.
“The most important thing that helps a family's decision in this time of tragedy is their knowing the wishes of their loved one.
“The rarity of organ donation highlights the importance of family discussion and knowledge of donation wishes to optimise every potential organ and tissue donation opportunity. For those generous Australians who are willing to become organ and tissue donors, to make your wish count I urge you to discuss your decision with family members today,” Ms King said.
The Member for Hindmarsh, Steve Georganas, said less than 1% of all deaths in hospitals occur in the specific circumstances where organ donation is possible. Many more have the potential to become tissue donors.
“This is a great reminder to have that conversation with your family about organ donation” Mr Georganas said.
“It’s so important that those close to you know and understand your wishes.”
"The conversation you have today could one day transform the lives of 10 or more people."
Royal Adelaide Hospital is one of a number of hospitals in South Australia focused on helping to increase family consent rates by delivering a professional clinical and medical program, extensive family support services and working to promote organ and tissue donation through community education services.
Since the inception of the national reform agenda in 2009, the Royal Adelaide Hospital accounts for 59% of all deceased organ donors in South Australia.
“I thank the staff at Royal Adelaide Hospital for their commitment and dedication in implementing the national reform agenda, particularly the work being done to support families in making an informed and enduring decision about organ and tissue donation,” Ms King said.
More than 500 donation specialists and clinical staff in ICUs and Emergency Departments have now received intensive training in Family Donation Conversations. The Family Donation Conversation training ensures that the families of potential donors are supported by specialist staff when required to make a donation decision about their loved one - often in very traumatic circumstances.
For more information visit the DonateLife website.
Media Contacts:
Parliamentary Secretary's Office on (02) 6277 4230
Mr Georganas’ Office on 0419 849 048
Help with accessing large documents
When accessing large documents (over 500 KB in size), it is recommended that the following procedure be used:
- Click the link with the RIGHT mouse button
- Choose "Save Target As.../Save Link As..." depending on your browser
- Select an appropriate folder on a local drive to place the downloaded file
Attempting to open large documents within the browser window (by left-clicking)
may inhibit your ability to continue browsing while the document is
opening and/or lead to system problems.
Help with accessing PDF documents
To view PDF (Portable Document Format) documents, you will need to have a PDF reader installed on your computer. A number of PDF readers are available through the Australian Government Information Management Office (AGIMO) Web Guide website.