BMA: More must be done to bolster organ donations

The British Medical Association (BMA) has suggested that the UK may not be progressing fast enough in terms of efforts to encourage organ donations.

A report from the organisation has suggested that although Britain's donation system has improved as a result of measures laid out by the Organ Donation Taskforce four years ago, it will still be a "challenge" to meet the goal of increasing donations by 50 percent by 2013.

Moreover, the BMA concluded that many people will still be dying needlessly while waiting for organs even if this target is reached, which could indicate a need for changes to the current opt-in donation system.

Various radical legal amendments have been suggested for consideration by the report, including use of organs from high-risk groups, paying funeral expenses for organ donors or implementing an opt-out system with safeguards.

Dr Tony Calland, chairman of the BMA's medical ethics committee, said: "These are complex issues that throw up many ethical challenges. It is important that society discusses them openly in a reassuring way."

According to research from the British Journal of Anaesthesia in December 2011, only 30 percent of the UK population are currently listed on the NHS Organ Donor Register.