News

Durham backs organ donation proposals

(14 January 2008)

Leaders of a University organ donation campaign back UK Government proposals.

The leaders of a University campaign to encourage students to sign up to the national organ donor register are backing UK Government proposals to increase the number of people who join. The writer Bill Bryson, Chancellor of Durham University, welcomed “anything that helps improve the number of organ donations and the rate of organ transplants.” The Government’s Organ Donation Taskforce is due to publish a report tomorrow (Tuesday). Bill Bryson launched and is spearheading the University’s ‘My Friend Oli’ campaign, which encourages all Durham students, staff and graduates to sign up to the NHS Organ Donor Register. The campaign owes its name to Bill’s friend, Milton Keynes based Oli Lewington, who has cystic fibrosis and until recently was on a waiting list for a double lung transplant. He had the operation before Christmas and is recovering well. Currently there are more than 8,000 people waiting for organ transplants in the UK – a figure which rises by about eight per cent a year. Yesterday (Sunday) Prime Minister Gordon Brown said he wanted to start a national debate on whether to change the system of organ donation. He believes many more lives would be saved if everyone was automatically placed on the donor register. Unless they proactively opted out or if family members objected, hospitals would be allowed to use their organs for transplants. The Organ Donation Taskforce is due to publish its report tomorrow (Tuesday), and is expected to make recommendations to boost the level of organ donations. It is due to begin consulting on the issue of ‘presumed consent’, with a report expected in summer. Dr Bryson said: “As Chancellor of Durham University, I launched a campaign to get the maximum number of Durham students to sign up to the NHS Organ Donor Register. It only takes a minute, but for someone, somewhere, it might be the most important minute you ever take. Commenting on Government proposals, he said: “I welcome anything which would help increase the number of organ donations and help improve the rate of organ transplants.” Durham University Combined Arts student Hannah Barham, 20, is co-ordinator of the My Friend Oli campaign. Hannah’s 18-year old brother, Gareth, underwent a successful heart transplant three years ago and is now fully recovered and applying for degree courses. Hannah, originally from Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk, said: “This is a big step forward for our campaign and campaigns across the country. The current situation, where thousands of people are waiting for organ transplants, should not be allowed to continue. “Whilst I fully back the proposals for an ‘opt out system’ and other ways of increasing the levels of organ donations you wonder how many people have died while waiting for changes to be made.” Bill and Hannah have been encouraging Durham students to sign up to the NHS Organ Donor Register via a website, http://www.dur.ac.uk/bill.bryson/difference/oli/ The campaign has had huge support from Durham students, with 95 per cent of those surveyed saying they would sign up to the register, although due to registration method it is impossible to tell just how many have done so.