I OWE EVERYTHING TO THE PERSON WHO PUT THEIR NAME ON THE ORGAN DONOR REGISTER ALL THOSE YEARS AGO
The walk came on the back of the passing of the Human Tissue (Authorisation) (Scotland) Act 2019, which provided for a system of deemed authorisation for organ and tissue donation for transplantation purposes. The legislation provided for a ‘deemed authorisation’ or ‘opt-out’ system of organs and tissue donation for transplantation. The system came into effect on 26 March 2021.
The opt-out system will apply to most adults aged 16 and over who are resident in Scotland, but it will not apply to everyone.
Under the opt-out system, if a person dies in circumstances where they could become a donor and have not recorded a donation decision, it may be assumed they are willing to donate their organs and tissue for transplantation.
The law covers the processes surrounding organ and tissue donation, including the role of the family and routine medical procedures and tests that would need to be carried out on a potential donor to ensure that transplantation is likely to be
safe, successful and a suitable match for somebody on the transplant waiting list.
The law comes almost five years to the day since Scotland took its first steps towards giving patients the gift of life, when a Members’ Bill was introduced in the Scottish Parliament: a Bill, which sought to change the law on organ donation.
James Jopling, Head of British Heart Foundation in Scotland, has welcomed the change in the law.
‘We believe the new law will offer patients the much-needed hope that a donor could be found before it’s too late,’ he said. ‘The legislation also paves the way for a shift in our social perceptions relating to organ donation. The key difference for families living in an opt-out system is that, in the absence of a recorded decision, they will know their relative could have opted out but chose not to do so. And we must continue to talk to each other about organ donation. Knowing our loved ones wishes in the event of their death and sharing our own is vital. It’s a conversation we all need to have.’
Tissue that can be donated
Tissue donation is just as important as organ donation, so it’s great news that tissue will be able to be donated in addition to organ donation. The tissues donated by one donor can enable up to eleven people to benefit from tissue transplant surgery.
Unlike organ donation, it may be possible to donate tissue up to 24 hours after death for corneas and up to 48 hours after death for heart valves and tendons. Tissue donation is occasionally possible for people who die outside hospital, but most tissue donors normally need to die in a hospital. Every opportunity for donation is, therefore, very precious.
A heart transplant, for example, may be the last option for people with end stage heart failure for which there is no cure. Around 200 heart transplants are carried out in the UK every year, but more people could benefit if the number of donors increased.
WE BELIEVE THE NEW LAW WILL OFFER PATIENTS THE MUCH- NEEDED HOPE THAT A DONOR COULD BE FOUND BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE
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