Organ Transplantation And Organ Donation Shortages – If I Only Had A Heart, Or A Lung Or A Kidney…

April 15th, 2009

admin

Pages: 1 2

How Many People Are In Need Of Donated Organs?

Regardless of the findings of the study, the fact remains that the waiting list for those needing organ transplantation in the US is over 100,000 and an average of 18 people die every day waiting for a donor replacement organ. Compare that to a waiting list of 4000 in Canada or 8000 in the UK where the populations are one tenth and one fifth of the US population respectively and it is obvious that the numbers in the US are very high in proportion.

In many locations, organ donor registries are tied to driving license renewal yet the preferences of all drivers are not yet known. In these cases, the local governments are not doing an adequate job of ensuring that drivers state their preference to donate or not donate their organs. In other areas, registries do not even exist so driver’s are not even asked whether they would offer their organs for transplantation in the event of their death. With the population so unaware that their donated organs could save the life of another person, it is very important that these governments take the necessary actions to ensure public access to organs for transplant.

Conclusions

In the end, our deaths can always have some positive purpose by sustaining the life of another and donating our organs is something that takes so little effort, yet can be of immeasurable value for someone else. If we can overcome our collective ignorance, even one person at a time, and encourage our governments to assist in spreading the word about organ donation, the efforts could pay off for a large number of our fellow citizens and save their lives.

None of us will ever know until too late if we may be one of those “fellow citizens” waiting on a donor organ from someone who took only the time to check their preference, so pass along the message…