Region streets ahead with donor registrations

NORTH East Victoria has one of the highest rates of organ and tissue donors with Mansfield at 33 per cent registered, but there's a push from parliament to make it even better. Other areas in the region include Wangaratta at 35pc donor registration, Alpine and Towong at 33pc, while Strathbogie Shire has 32pc. But when it comes to the whole state, Victorians are lagging behind with just 23pc of the population registered donors compared to the national average of 36pc. To promote donor registrations, a committee of parliament wants people to be given the option to register for organ and tissue donations at the time of applying for or renewing their driver's licence. South Australia already has the option to become organ donors when renewing a licence and that state has 73pc of the population on the donor register. A Legislative Assembly Legal and Social Issues Committee’s report 'Register and talk about it' makes 74 findings and 41 recommendations, including to encourage more registrations through improved accessibility and awareness of the Australian Organ Donor Register (AODR) and better promotion of family discussion about donation. “It’s so important that people both register and have a conversation with their family about their donation wishes," committee chair Ella George said. "We know that will significantly increase the likelihood that a family will consent to a donation going ahead." The committee received almost 50 submissions, held seven days of hearings and heard from local, interstate and international experts, as well as representatives of diverse communities and donor families who bravely shared their personal stories. “It can be incredibly confronting to be asked to consent to a loved one becoming a donor," Ms George said. "But we learned that many families find the strength at a time of intense sadness to recognise that they can help others." While Victorians were able to record interest in becoming a donor on driver’s licences for a short period, this has not been possible since the early 2000s. The rate of registration for young people is particularly low, with just 10pc of people aged 16 to 25 having registered a donation decision on the AODR. The committee identified building awareness and discussion opportunities about donation among young Victorians as a key opportunity, and makes a series of recommendations to encourage this cohort to register and share their donation wishes with family. “Educating young people is vital," Ms George said. "We need to increase awareness so more young people register to become a donor and share their donation wishes with family, making Victorians better prepared should they ever be asked to provide consent to donation for a loved one." The committee also considered living stem cell and living kidney donations, and discovered much more can be done to promote both. Australia imports most of its stem cell donations from overseas: but this reliance would be reduced by encouraging more young people to register on the Australian Bone Marrow Donor Registry.

Region streets ahead with donor registrations

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