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PDF printable version of Record Quarter for Organ Donation (PDF 198 KB)

8 April 2013

Parliamentary Secretary for Health and Ageing Shayne Neumann today announced that Australia’s official organ donor rates have increased to record levels for the first quarter of 2013.

Figures from the Australia and New Zealand Organ Donation Registry (ANZOD) show consistent record growth in organ donation and transplantation month on month this year.

“In the first quarter of 2013, the national outcome of 119 donors is a 55% increase on donors for the same period for 2012. This means 70 more people have benefited from a transplant in just the first three months of this year, compared to the same time last year,” Mr Neumann said.

“In March alone, we achieved a new national record of 50 donors, the highest monthly deceased organ donation outcome since national records began. The average monthly outcome was less than 20 donors prior to the DonateLife Network being established in 2009, so the increase is significant.”

Mr Neumann said these outcomes were a promising demonstration of the national reform agenda taking effect. This growth comes on top of periodic monthly record outcomes that have occurred since the introduction of the Australian Government’s national reform agenda.

“Even before the 2013 increase, organ donation levels had already increased by 43% since 2009. We are confident that with continued specialist training to build change in donation practice in hospitals; increased public support and awareness of family wishes; and the dedicated work undertaken in the health system, more lives will be transformed through organ donation.”

“This outcome is only made possible through the generosity of donors and their families who consent to organ donation in a time of traumatic loss and grief. I pay tribute to these Australians for honouring the wishes of their family member and generously giving life to others,” said Mr Neumann.

Professor Peter Macdonald, President of the Transplantation Society of Australia and New Zealand said that transplant units across the country are feeling the impact of the increase in donation rates.

“Since 2009, heart transplants have increased by 22% and lung transplants have increased by 30% in the same period. The most notable growth is in kidney transplants, increasing by 36%,” said Professor Macdonald.
The significant increase in kidney transplants from deceased donors was also commended by the CEO of Kidney Health Australia, Ms Anne Wilson.

“Many Australians spend large amounts of time on dialysis, which imposes severe restrictions on their lives. This growth means that more Australians who suffer from end stage kidney disease are having their health and lives restored through kidney transplantation,” said Ms Wilson.

CEO of Transplant Australia, Mr Chris Thomas, welcomed the record growth saying, “581 more Australians have received a transplant as a direct result of the 43% growth in organ donations over the last three years. This is encouraging and we look forward to seeing more Australian lives transformed through transplantation.”

Family discussion on organ and tissue donation remains one factor influencing consent rates. Mr Neumann encouraged Australians to talk about their wishes with their families.

“When families know the donation decision of a loved one, they are more likely to support donation proceeding,” he said.

Currently, the majority (86%) of Australians surveyed would agree to donation if they knew their family member was willing to become an organ donor; yet, only 56% of people would agree to donation if the wishes of the deceased were unknown.

Media Contact: Madonna Oliver - 0477 757 791

More information

The Organ and Tissue Authority leads implementation of the Australian Government’s national reform agenda to increase organ and tissue donation and transplantation. The Authority’s aim is to: increase capability and capacity within the health system to maximise donation rates and to build community awareness and stakeholder engagement across Australia to promote organ and tissue donation.

The Australia and New Zealand Organ Donation Registry (ANZOD) is responsible for the collection and reporting on deceased organ donors in Australia and New Zealand. ANZOD records and reports on a wide range of statistics that relate to organ donation following death within Australia and New Zealand.

Key initiatives that have been implemented as part of the national reform agenda are:

• Establishing a network of donation specialists in 74 hospitals to change national donation practice;
• International best-practice clinical training for more than 550 intensive care and critical care specialists in the conduct of family donation conversations to support families to make an enduring decision when the opportunity for donation arises;
• Building public awareness of the importance of family discussion and knowledge of donation wishes; and
• Enhanced reporting and auditing of organ and tissue donation practices in Australia

Additional organ and tissue donation statistics

• 315 Australians have received an organ transplant so far this year compared to 245 for the same period in 2012

Growth over three years from 2009- 2012:

• Heart transplants – 22% increase is from 59 to 72 donors
• Lung transplants – 30% increase is from 114 to 148 donors
• Kidney transplants – 36% increase is from 446 to 606 donors

Further information is also available at the Donatelife website.