Organ donor process costs lives

Revelations that only 29 New Zealanders donated organs last year have stunned Tauranga's Automobile Association, who say most Bay people tick the "donor" option on their driver's licence.

Bay heart transplant recipient Amanda Louden is also surprised at last year's low figure, which has reignited debate about whether family members should be allowed to overrule their loved one's wishes.

Donating organs such as the heart, lungs, liver, pancreas and kidneys is only possible when a person's brain has died and they are on a ventilator in an intensive care unit.

New Zealand drivers' licences identify whether a person has agreed to donate their organs and tissues in such circumstances but families have the final say - even if the donor has specified their wishes in their will.

The decision must be made within hours of the donor's death, meaning families are often forced to decide while suffering from shock and trauma.

Automobile Association Tauranga district manager Barry Kidd estimates that well over half of the people who come in for a new or renewed licence application choose to become donors and was surprised by the recent low figures.

He believed the problem was not people's reluctance to be donors, but the process following the donor's death. He said the systems in place to ensure the donor's wishes were fulfilled were inadequate.

"It's an issue that's been around for a number of years and requires a national system and government funding to set up and facilitate."

Health Minister Annette King announced last September that the Labour Government was planning a nationwide organ donation register, to be released this year.

Following a major consultation and review on changes to the Human Tissue Act, the Government decided there was a need for comprehensive policy to increase the number of organ donations.

"The issue of consent has stimulated considerable debate and the Organ Donation Register will ensure there is an effective, informed consent process so that people who have indicated they want to be organ donors have their wishes respected," Mrs King said.

Tauranga resident Amanda Louden, 16, also said she was surprised by the latest donation figures. At age 12, Amanda was New Zealand's second child to get a heart transplant, which saved her life. She said the recent figures made her realise "I was kinda lucky".

Although Amanda acknowledges the benefits of giving someone another life, she said: "I don't think I'd do it myself. I like all me inside."

An organ donation fact sheet released by the Ministry of Health explains why New Zealand's organ donor rates are so low per capita. It said despite the best intentions of many to give a chance of life for those in need, very few of those willing can actually become donors.

A potential donor is described as "a critically ill patient in an intensive care unit receiving ventilatory support after an acute brain injury, the severity of which is such that there is a high probability of brain death occurring." Only about 5 per cent of deaths in New Zealand occur in an ICU, and less than 0.5 per cent involve a declaration of brain death. GiveLife New Zealand spokesman Andy Tookey, who set up the lobby group after his baby daughter was diagnosed with a deadly liver disease, has urged people to clarify the issue with family.