Health staff to give life through organ donation
Every year hundreds of people die while waiting for an organ transplant because of a shortage of organ donors. And the kind of illnesses that can result in organ failure, such as kidney disease and heart disease, are on the increase.
Most people agree that organ donation is a good thing. Yet only 52.3 per cent of people in Scotland are on the NHS organ donor register, and Ayrshire and Arran currently has one of the lowest sign-up rates in Scotland.
MSPs this week voted to adopt an ‘opt out’ system for organ donation, meaning there will be assumed consent if the bill is passed.
However, NHS Ayrshire and Arran is already encouraging staff to sign up to be an organ donor, and sharing stories on social media and YouTube about the many reasons why they have chosen to sign up. Search for NHS Ayrshire and Arran on YouTube to watch the video stories.
Many of the Emergency Department staff are on the organ donation register, including medical director and ED consultant, Crawford McGuffie. Dr McGuffie said: ‘Working as a consultant in emergency medicine and dealing with life and death almost on a daily basis, organ donation was something that, of course, I knew about.
‘It had always been my intention to register as an organ donor but I had never actually got round to signing up. Registration was really straightforward – it took less than five minutes and my donor card arrived by post really quickly.
‘I’ve now discussed it with my family and they are clear about my wishes. The whole family are now registered donors and I’m clear about their decision too. It’s important for us as a family to be clear about this.
‘If the time ever comes, we are now in no doubt that we are committed as a family to giving life through organ donation and that will make any difficult decisions much easier.’
Chief executive John Burns is also an organ donor. He explains: ‘The more people who register, the more likely someone will be able to get the life-changing transplant they are desperately waiting for. Every registration and every family conversation about organ donation decisions could potentially save a life and give hope to the hundreds of people in Scotland who are currently on the transplant waiting list.’
To join the NHS Organ Donor Register, call 0300 123 2323 or visit www.organ donationscotland.org and remember to share your wishes with your family. Together we can save more lives.