Organ Donation

 In Kent during the last five years, some 46 people in Kent died whilst waiting on the organ transport list.  I recently raised the issue of organ donation in Parliament and the answers that I received have made me really think about this issue.

Like most people, I didn’t consider the organ donation list until it was brought to my attention. This is the reason why the majority of people do not register so I confess that I have only just gone on to the register myself. If I was in need of a life saving transplant I would of course accept one and therefore I thought it is time that I joined the 27,346 residents in Dartford who are already on the Organ Transplant List. I hope that others will feel the same and join the list

According to the NHS Organ Donation Scheme, currently 10,000 people in the UK need a transplant and of these, 1000 each year will die.  In Kent alone this year there are 145 people awaiting organ transplants.  Last year there were approximately 150 patients on the transplant list in Kent and 92 transplants were performed.

The number of those registering as organ donors in Dartford and in Kent declined during 2011 with 2608 less people registering to become organ donors than in 2010.

 Being an organ donor isn’t for everyone, there may be religious or personal reasons why people may not wish to be on the register.  However if like me, it is simply a case of not thinking about it or getting round to it, I would urge those people to join the register today.  The form takes five minutes to fill in and really can save lives.