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Tenth anniversary of the NHS Organ Donor Register
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Last modified date:8 February 2007
October 2004 marked the beginning of the NHS Organ Donor Register's tenth anniversary year. As part of a programme of events to promote this, UK Transplant are challenging the nation to add one million 'lifesavers' to the register before 5 October 2005.
Nine in ten people support organ donation in principle - but only two in ten have their names on the register
Created in 1994, the NHS Organ Donor Register is a confidential database of people who wish, after their death, to leave a legacy of life for others. By August 2004, 11.6 million people had made the life-giving decision to join it. The anniversary challenge aims to make it 12.6 million names.
Nearly 3,000 people are given a new lease of life through an organ transplant each year. But with more than 7,000 people in the UK needing a transplant to save, or dramatically improve their lives, there is an urgent need for more donors.
Sue Sutherland, Chief Executive of UK Transplant, said, 'In this anniversary year, we want to encourage an extra one million people to think about organ donation, talk about it and sign up.
'The gift of life is the most precious we can give. We know that nine out of ten people support organ donation in principle but that only two out of ten have got around to recording their wishes on the register.'
More than 250,000 people have signed up to the register in the first two months of the challenge. You can find out more about the events to mark the anniversary year, and join the Organ Donor Register, at UK Transplant's website.
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