Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to the debate on the motion. This matter is close to my heart, particularly as I work closely with the Punchestown Kidney Research Fund and am aware of the great work done for it by James Nolan and others. One of the reasons this matter is so close to my heart is that I lost a kidney when I was 18. Thankfully, and touch wood, I am in very good health and I hope to remain so. However, one never knows when one might need an organ donation. It is amazing when one realises the sacrifices which live donors make. The Punchestown Kidney Research Fund has been up and running for 24 years and has raised €1.2 million by holding the charity kidney race on the final day of the Punchestown racing festival each year. While that money has been really well spent, equally important is the additional awareness that has been created on foot of the publicity relating to the race.

I agree with the concept of the opt-out clause. I commend people such as Joe Brolly who have raised the profile of this issue in recent times. However, we must be careful that we do not suggest that one simple measure will solve all of our problems. If an opt-out clause were put in place tomorrow, then the number of suitable donors who would die in the next few weeks would be greater than the total number of transplantations carried out last year. We need to work towards introducing such a clause and doing so will put pressure on the relevant individuals to ensure that there will be a sufficient number of teams available to harvest and retrieve organs. In addition, there must also be a sufficient number of co-ordinators to deal with the process relating to approaching families. The worst time to broach the subject of organ donation with a family is when it has just lost a loved one. Doctors or surgeons who lose patients and who are obliged to break the news to the families involved may not always raise the subject of organ donation. That is where specially trained co-ordinators come into play. I am of the view that we need more such co-ordinators and more specialist teams.

The unit in Beaumont Hospital is extremely impressive but it would not be able to deal with the consequences of an opt-out clause. This is a something we must be cognisant of, although I am not stating that what is proposed is not worth doing. The current annual cost of dialysis for one patient is between €65,000 and €70,000. The cost of a transplant is in the region of €45,000 to €50,000. The annual costs thereafter would be €10,000 and these would relate to hospital visits, paying for immunosuppresant drugs, etc. I know people in Kildare who have undergone extremely successful transplant procedures. They have benefited hugely from these transplants, particularly in the context of the obvious improvement in their quality of life. These individuals were previously in receipt of illness benefit because they could not work and had to claim from the State in order to survive. I refer, in particular, to a couple of people in the Newbridge area who have returned to full-time employment and who are happy to be paying PRSI and PAYE. They now have a great outlook on life. Above and beyond the various human considerations, the financial benefits of moving towards an opt-out model are obvious. I am aware that the Minister is very much on board in this regard and I look forward to progress being made in the coming years.

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