King vow on donor register

But intensive care and transplant specialists say they will not take anyone's organs without family consent.

The move to set up a register next year - announced at Labour's health policy launch yesterday - has been cautiously welcomed by organ donation campaigner Andy Tookey. But medical experts involved are asking whether the register - expected to cost $2 million to $4 million to set up and a further $800,000 to run - is a costly waste of time.

Health Minister Annette King said the register was a response to a groundswell of public opinion that New Zealand needed to improve its organ donation rate.

It was not a cure-all, but one of a raft of new initiatives, she said.

Under existing rules, New Zealanders can elect to be a donor on their driver's licence, but that is effectively worthless as it is not deemed a proper consent. It is the family who make the final choice.

With the donor register, the process would start with those who ticked yes on their licence application. Their details would be passed to the Health Ministry, which would run the register.

Volunteers would be sent information about organ donation and a consent form, including a clause about discussing their choice with family, Ms King said.

If someone on the register became brain-dead in intensive care, doctors would ask the family to confirm the patient's choice, rather than take the existing approach of asking if they would donate the organs.

"They would be asked if there was any reason the person might have changed their mind. If they (the family) absolutely refused, there is no way the specialist is going to be able to take those organs."

Auckland Hospital's liver and kidney transplant programme director Stephen Munn said a register was not the answer to donor rates. "I don't think it will make a difference and it will cost a large amount of money."

He also asked what happened if an intensive care patient was not on the register. "Are you then not able to ask the family for organs? That could lead to a drop in donation."

Intensive Care Society spokesman Peter Hicks said his organisation did not believe a donor register would improve donor rates. It was rare that a family over-rode a person's wishes and that should not be used as a basis for organ donation planning, he said.

Though those involved do not intend to use the register to go against a family's wishes, Mr Tookey is vowing to continue his fight to remove the family's say.

The register would be worthwhile only if binding and if accompanied by a public education campaign to get more people to sign on, he said.