U.K. unveils new organ donation plan to address Indian-origin shortages
The U.K. government announced new plans to change the law for organ and tissue donation to address the urgent need for organs within Indian-origin communities in the country.
The proposed new system of consent for organ and tissue donation is expected to come into effect in England in 2020 as part of a drive to help black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) people desperately waiting for a life-saving transplant.
Under the new presumed consent system, those who do not want to donate their organs will be able to record their decision on the state-funded National Health Service (NHS) Organ Donor Register (ODR).
The announcement comes as a recent report called on the NHS to take more proactive action to address the high death rate among Indian-origin people in Britain due to low levels of organ donation within the community.
India has seen a 10-fold increase in its organ donation consent rates over the last decade as a result of sustained public awareness programmes, policy initiatives, and multi-stakeholder collaboration
A substantial number of patients on the transplant list, and dying as a result of long waiting periods, are Indians and Pakistanis.
According to NHS records, only 7% of donors last year were from BAME backgrounds, with Indians accounting for just 1.9% of the NHS ODR.
It found that 21% of people who died on the organ donation waiting list in the U.K. last year were from a BAME background, compared with 15% a decade ago
Sustained public education campaigns and youth engagement are responsible for a higher number of registrations and consent rates in these countries.
Both India and the U.K. follow the opt-in system, whereby families’ decision to donate organs of their loved one after death is discretionary.
The U.K. government is now moving towards adopting legislation favouring the opt-out system to address the growing crisis in the country.
The U.K. government announced new plans to change the law for organ and tissue donation to address the urgent need for organs within Indian-origin communities in the country.
The proposed new system of consent for organ and tissue donation is expected to come into effect in England in 2020 as part of a drive to help black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) people desperately waiting for a life-saving transplant.
Under the new presumed consent system, those who do not want to donate their organs will be able to record their decision on the state-funded National Health Service (NHS) Organ Donor Register (ODR).
The announcement comes as a recent report called on the NHS to take more proactive action to address the high death rate among Indian-origin people in Britain due to low levels of organ donation within the community.
India has seen a 10-fold increase in its organ donation consent rates over the last decade as a result of sustained public awareness programmes, policy initiatives, and multi-stakeholder collaboration
A substantial number of patients on the transplant list, and dying as a result of long waiting periods, are Indians and Pakistanis.
According to NHS records, only 7% of donors last year were from BAME backgrounds, with Indians accounting for just 1.9% of the NHS ODR.
It found that 21% of people who died on the organ donation waiting list in the U.K. last year were from a BAME background, compared with 15% a decade ago
Sustained public education campaigns and youth engagement are responsible for a higher number of registrations and consent rates in these countries.
Both India and the U.K. follow the opt-in system, whereby families’ decision to donate organs of their loved one after death is discretionary.
The U.K. government is now moving towards adopting legislation favouring the opt-out system to address the growing crisis in the country.
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