DonateLife Week urges people to sign up as donors

This year's theme is be the reason someone gets a second chance

With DonateLife Week starting on July 28, new data from the Australian Organ Donor Register has revealed that 54 per cent of people living in the Central Coast local government area are registered organ and tissue donors.

This will be Australia’s 13th annual DonateLife Week – July 28 to August 4 – and the theme this year is “be the reason someone else gets a second chance at life”.

Acting General Manager of the NSW Organ and Tissue Donation Service Juliana Celcer said DonateLife Week was the perfect time to consider becoming an organ and tissue donor, as the newly released data revealed the need for more people across the state to register as donors.

Celcer said opportunities for organ transplants were missed because families were uncertain of their loved one’s wish to be a donor and it was important for Australians to not only register, but to tell their families they wanted to be a donor. 

“Organ donation saves lives and increasing awareness and consent is critical to lifting our donation rate,” she said.

“We encourage NSW residents to go online and pledge to give the gift of life to those in need.”

There are currently about 1,800 Australians on the organ waitlist and 14,000 more on dialysis for kidney failure who need Australia’s help.

Sadly, more than 50 Australians died last year while on the organ transplant waitlist. 

While four in five Australians say they support donation, only 36 per cent are registered (41 percent in NSW).

If an extra three million Australians registered, about 90-100 more people would receive a life-saving organ transplant every year.

The best way to do this is to register as a donor at donatelife.gov.au or with three taps in the Express Plus Medicare app.

Then, tell your family you’ve registered.

In NSW last year 47,132 people registered as organ and tissue donors on the Australian Organ Donor Register, 142 people died and became organ donors, which was up by 16 per cent and 392 people received organ transplants, up by 22 per cent.

“Our dedicated organ donation teams across NSW work tirelessly to maximise every opportunity to save a life through transplant,” DonateLife NSW Co-State Medical Director Elena Cavazzoni said.

“But the reality is, there simply aren’t enough donors in NSW to match the waitlist.

“This DonateLife Week, I’m urging everyone in NSW to please register as an organ and tissue donor.”