Steve Brine MP attended an event at the Houses of Parliament on Tuesday 8th September to mark the launch of National Transplant Week, which highlights the importance of organ donation.
Around a third of adults across the country admit they haven't considered organ donation or decided if they want to be an organ donor, NHS Blood and Transplant has revealed, and nationally 4.1 million people who do want to donate their organs when they die say they haven't talked to a loved one about that decision.
Steve Brine said: "This National Transplant Week, I'm urging everyone in Winchester & Chandler's Ford to talk to their nearest and dearest about organ donation so they know whether they want to donate their organs after they have died. Too many of us are still not comfortable talking about organ donation and this has to change."
Across the UK there are 10,000 people in need of a transplant. Last year the number of people donating organs fell for the first time in 11 years. The UK also has one of the lowest rates in Europe for families consenting to organ donation and in 2014/15 only 58% agreed to donate their family members' organs after they died.
This National Transplant Week, NHS Blood and Transplant want to get the whole nation talking about organ donation and the importance of sharing decisions on being an organ donor with family and close friends. The Seven Days to Say Yes I Donate campaign aims to help break down barriers and taboos around organ donation.
Anthony Clarkson, NHS Blood and Transplant's Assistant Director for Organ Donation and Nursing said: "Everyday three people die in need of a transplant. Yet across the UK 1 in 3 adults haven't considered organ donation or decided whether they want to be an organ donor.
"To save more lives we need more donors. We need to get to the point where organ donation is high on the list of important personal conversations we routinely have with loved ones."
Paddy Tabor, Chief Executive of the British Kidney patient Association, added: "Every transplant can transform someone's life, it is for many people simply the gift of life. So although every single organ donated matters, without donors telling their families about their wishes, consent rates drop dramatically from 90% to 60% and donors' wishes may not be carried out. Please have the conversation and ensure your family are aware of your wishes".
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