Séamus Healy (Tipperary South, Workers and Unemployed Action Group) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to contribute on this Private Member's motion. I commend my colleague, Deputy Tom Fleming, for introducing the motion and for presenting it in a simple and straightforward way. It brings the topic of organ donation to a new level and puts on the agenda a call for new legislation to ensure the future availability of organs for transplantation. I welcome the Government's decision to accept the motion and I hope it will introduce legislation urgently to implement a new system of organ donation.

Undoubtedly, organ donation is a life saving and life altering gift that shows incredible generosity on the part of families at times of great loss and sadness and on the part of individuals who have made their desire to be donors known. Transplants transform the lives of recipients. As some of the literature on the matter reads, organ donation is the ultimate act of love.

It is important to mention Ireland's proud record of organ donation since it first began in 1964. Transplantations have been carried out in three hospitals, namely, St. Vincent's Hospital in respect of liver transplants, the Mater hospital in respect of heart and lung transplants and Beaumont Hospital in respect of kidney and pancreas transplants. Since 1964, the total number of deceased organ donors recorded is 2,272 and the number of transplants performed is 5,183. The majority were kidney transplants, followed by heart, pancreas, liver and lung transplants. In 2012, deceased and live donors numbered 78 and 32, respectively. In December 2012, the number of patients on the transplant list was 563, 35 more than at the same point in 2011. The number of donations fluctuated in 2010, 2011 and 2012, with 2010 seeing lower numbers than in previous years. In 2011 and 2012, however, the numbers increased again. All of this places on the agenda the question of a new approach to our system of organ donation, the matter with which this motion is concerned.

Per head of population, Ireland has one of the better records of organ donation, placing us above our nearest neighbour, the UK, where 16 donations are made per million of population. We fluctuate between 18 and 22 donations per million. We use the opt-in system, which is under review. The programme for Government proposes a soft opt-out system, whereby it is presumed that individuals have opted in unless they have deliberately opted out or their relatives indicate their wishes not to donate. Such a system has provided higher numbers of organs for transplantation in other countries. While it would do the same in Ireland, it would need to be placed on a legislative basis. The motion calls for the implementation of a system whereby everyone is deemed to have opted in for organ donation. If anyone opts not to be a part of that system, he or she must sign out of the automatic donor involvement scheme. As such, legislation must be introduced.

Another question is that of the availability of co-ordinators at acute hospital level, particularly in intensive care and accident and emergency departments, to organise this vital service. In other countries, co-ordinators have been found to be the key to an increased number of donations. They must be provided as quickly as possible.

The motion correctly calls for the establishment of a national donor registry that would facilitate engagement with prospective donors and be accessible to all acute hospitals. This element of the scheme would be beneficial.

An information campaign does need to be rolled out. The four elements outlined, namely, a soft opt-out system, the appointment of co-ordinators, the establishment of a register and a publicity campaign, are necessary to provide a successful system for this vital service. I commend the motion to the House and I thank Deputy Tom Fleming for introducing it.

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