Transplant Australia will develop a national report card measuring State, Territory and Federal Government commitment and progress in improving the nation’s rate of organ and tissue donation.
Following today’s release of the annual statistics into organ and tissue donation and transplantation activity in Australia in 2024, Transplant Australia called on all governments to urgently implement the new strategy into improving donation.
Today’s release showed a welcome increase in the number of organ donors compared to 2023 but a concerning drop in the actual numbers of people receiving a life-saving transplant.
Transplant Australia CEO, Chris Thomas, first thanked the families of the 527 organ donors in 2024 who helped save the lives of 1,328 Australians through the gift of life and the hardworking donation and transplant staff who helped make it happen.
“Without these families confirming their loved one’s decision to be a donor, or making that decision on their behalf, there would be no transplantation in this country. We are forever grateful. Equally we need to acknowledge the amazing professionals committed to saving lives,” Mr Thomas said.
However, as the national charity representing the 1,819 people waiting for a life-saving transplant and those who have received the gift of life, we need to stress that a five per cent decrease in transplant numbers with significantly less heart and lung transplants needs addressing.
“Behind these statistics is a national family consent rate of 53 per cent. This means almost one in two families are declining donation – a gift which could save up to 7 people. We know Australians are generous. It is time we measured how governments are working actively to improve both deceased and living donation.”
Key priorities include:
- Funding and implementation of the new national strategy into donation, retrieval and transplantation
- Mass registration opportunities including placing the opportunity to register as a donor back on the driver’s licence system with a person’s donor status identified on their licence
- Improvements to registration numbers and family consent rates
- Simplification of consent processes for families during a potential donation
- Commitments to improving living donor education
- Investment in community engagement and education, especially among diverse and Indigenous communities
- Funding of post-transplant services to improve the quality of care for transplant recipients in the first 12 months after transplant
Mr Thomas emphasised that the sector recognized the need to return registration to the driver’s licence system however it was taking too long for state governments to adopt this recommendation.
“Families respect a person’s decision to be a donor and statistics show consent is double when you have registered and informed your family. We need to make that process as simple as possible and returning it to the licence system is the best way to ensure we maximise the number of people on the Australian Organ Donor Register.”
He urged governments in Western Australia and Victoria to adopt their respective Parliamentary reports into donation which had mapped out pathways to improve donation and transplantation.
“All governments need to embrace the expert advice to improve donation. Equally, the NSW Strategy into donation is now 12 years old. We will be asking the NSW Government to update that strategy, so it is aligned with national efforts.”
Transplant Australia is committed to working positively with the Organ & Tissue Authority to ensure more people receive a transplant. Over the next few months it will work with the sector to finalise key components of the report card to ensure they are appropriate, achievable, and measurable.
Today’s report is available here: The 2024 Australian Donation and Transplantation Activity Report is now available | DonateLife
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