Paul Gavan (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 19:

In page 43, between lines 3 and 4, to insert the following: “(n) by the substitution of the following Regulation for Regulation 25:

“25. The HSE shall—

(a) keep a record of and publish the annual activities of procurement organisations and transplantation centres, at hospital level, including aggregated numbers of living and deceased donors and the types and quantities of organs procured and transplanted, or otherwise disposed of in accordance with European Union and national provisions on the protection of personal data and statistical confidentiality, to include:

(i) deaths in hospitals;

(ii) number of potential donors;

(iii) number of donors actually requested to donate;

(iv) number of donors assessed as being medically suitable for donation with classification of reasons why donation is not feasible;

(v) families or next of kin response to organ donor requests with classification of reasons;

(vi) number of organ retrievals with classification of reasons why retrieval was not feasible;

(vii) number of transplants with classification of reasons why transplantation was not feasible,

(b) draw up and make publicly accessible an annual report on activities referred to in paragraph (a), and

(c) establish and maintain an updated record of procurement organisations and transplantation centres.”,”.

I will speak to this amendment relatively briefly. The Irish Kidney Association has raised a number of concerns about the Bill. Having reviewed the debates in the Dáil, I was keen to get an explanation for why an amendment on annual audits would not be accepted. Transparency breeds accountability. If we cannot measure it, we cannot improve it. This is a maxim of public policy. We need high-quality data collection to ensure that donations go as smoothly as possible. Legislating for an annual published audit would improve accountability in respect of incidents such as happened in the Mater hospital in November 2021 when an available organ was not transplanted due to a lack of resources.

The “Audit of Potential Organ Donors Republic of Ireland 2009” was the first national audit of potential organ donors undertaken in Ireland. Its executive summary highlighted the need to identify and monitor the potential for organ donation in order to ensure adequate consideration was given to donation in all relevant circumstances. The audit’s overall conclusion reads:

There is no evidence of a large population of potential organ donors who are being missed by current procedures. Nevertheless the audit provides evidence of a number of areas where small improvements in our performance could cumulatively lead to a significant increase in organ donors.

We are looking for increased transparency and accountability to help improve outcomes for organ transplants.