AMA backs plan for organ donor summit

May 22, 2008

The AMA (WA) has welcomed the decision by Health Minster Jim McGinty to hold a summit on ways of increasing organ donations in WA.

"Organ donation is a very personal and sensitive issue and the community needs to be involved in any decision to introduce new ways to increase the donation rate," said association President Prof Geoff Dobb.

"This particularly applies if the Government wants to automatically take organs from dying patients unless they had previously objected and chosen to opt out of being a donor.

"There are religious views and many interested parties who would want to voice their opinions and a summit will provide them with that opportunity."

Prof Dobb, who is chairman of the Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Society's committee on death and organ donation, said almost 200 West Australians were waiting anxiously for organ transplants.

"These people's lives depend on finding a suitable donor and at present it is a struggle to find enough organs to meet the demand," he said.

Prof Dobb said it was encouraging that a poll by The West Australian showed that 76 per cent of West Australians surveyed supported a scheme under which everybody was automatically an organ donor unless they chose to opt out.

"Introducing opt-out schemes – or any new initiatives - cannot be made by the medical profession alone, despite doctors understanding the gravity of the situation," he said.

"The community needs to fully understand what happens when everyone is potentially an organ donor unless they opt out; if they then choose to support the plan, or any other scheme that increases the number of organ donors, we will be able to save more lives."

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