Giving organs in donors best interests

Wednesday, 6 August 2008, 9:24 am
Press Release: Give life

  Giving organs in donors best interests - UK Transplant Director
 
The law should be clarified to make clear that removing organs for transplant may be in a donor’s “best interests”, the United Kingdom's new National Clinical Director for Transplantation says.
Chris Rudge, who takes up the newly created post next month, says that the definition of a patient’s best interests should be drawn more widely, to include honouring a wish that his or her organs should be used to help others, reports The Times Newspaper.

Mr Rudge, a former transplant surgeon has been given the task of increasing organ donation in the UK by 50 per cent in five years.

GiveLife NZ Spokesman, Andy Tookey thinks New Zealand should take the same approach. "I have made the point several times in submissions to Parliament that the two most important people in organ donation are the donor and the intended recipient. This has constantly been ignored in favour of the new Human Tissue Law passed by Parliament this year that tries to cater for every other minorities wishes other than what the donor wanted."

The authorities in NZ have no interest in moving us out of third world status in regards to organ donation or they would follow the success of others, instead of continually finding excuses not to act."

The full article can be read at The Times online: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/article4453993.ece

Courtesy of SCOOP - www.scoop.co.nz