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scientists react to Chief Medical Officer’s announcement on organ donation

Sir Liam Donaldson called for the law to be changed to allow a system of presumed consent for organ donation.

Keith Rigg, vice president of the British Transplantation Society, and consultant surgeon at City Hospital campus, said:

“I would welcome anything that would lead to an increase in organ donation and this is one of many approaches to deal with the chronic organ shortage. However, a presumed consent approach requires a good public education programme to ensure everyone is aware of the consequences if they don’t opt out. Otherwise there is a danger those who are not in favour of donating their organs, but have not expressed this wish, would end up donating their organs. In my opinion it should be up to the individual whether they donate their organs and it is shouldn’t be left to a default position.”

Timothy Statham OBE, chief executive of the National Kidney Federation, said:

“The National Kidney Federation would welcome a change to presumed consent. However, they do not believe that this would result in a dramatic change to the number of organ transplant operations. The National Health Service does not have an infrastructure capable of dealing with the increase that is necessary to prevent 400 people dying on the kidney waiting list each year or that would enable many more of the 14,000 dialysis patients to move onto the transplant waiting list. There are 20,000 patients on dialysis who would dearly like to get on the transplant waiting list and only 6000 make it. To make a difference we need more surgeons, we need more intensive care unit beds, we need the government to put more money behind transplantation and we need more willing donors.”

Professor Adrian Newland, president of the Royal College of Pathologists, said:

“There has been a significant increase in the last few years of patients waiting for life-saving organ transplants while at the same time we have seen a reduction in number of organs offered for transplant. Many patients are dying while waiting for life saving surgery and this is a major tragedy. We know from surveys that the public are only too willing to offer their organs but this is rarely recorded or known by their relatives.

“The concept of presumed consent has worked well on the continent and there is no reason to believe that it would not also be accepted in the UK. As the overwhelming majority of the population would wish to offer their organs for transplant, we need to translate that overwhelming act of charity into reality and the time has now come to convert ‘presumed consent’ into positive action. The College strongly supports this move and believes that, if properly explained, the general population will also enthusiastically embrace it.”

Anne Keatley-Clarke, chief executive of the Children’s Heart Federation, said:

“Organ donation is a particularly sensitive issue when the donors and recipients are children or babies. It will probably always be necessary to obtain the consent of the families of young donors. However, a general increase in organ donation coupled with a greater awareness of the many children whose lives depend on a transplant might persuade more families to make this difficult decision.”

Adrian McNeil, chief executive of the Human Tissue Authority, said:

“The option of presumed consent was debated extensively during the passage through Parliament of the Human Tissue Act. It was decided that the opt-in system should remain. Any change in the law is a matter for the Government to decide.”

Keith Rigg, vice president of the British Transplantation Society, and a consultant surgeon at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, said:

“There is a clear need for an increase in organs for transplantation. An opt-out system may be one way to help meet the demand, but if introduced must ensure that those opting in or out did so with informed consent.”

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