NHS ‘should pay for funerals of organ donors’

The NHS has been urged to cover organ donors' funeral expenses as a means of boosting the number of people who sign up to transplant programmes.

According to a new report from the Nuffield Council on Bioethics (NCB), the government could pilot such a scheme to gauge levels of public support.

Hugh Whittall, director of the NCB, said that while large numbers of people do choose to donate their organs after they die, there is a huge shortage in many parts of the UK.

Mr Whittall claimed the scheme would be a way for healthcare organisations, the government and transplant patients to say thank you for the "altruistic act" of offering a person a second chance at life.

However, Mr Whittall claimed there would have to be a cap on the amount of money offered for organs.

"It's reasonable to do this to provide an extra prompt to people to donate. It's not about selling organs," he claimed.

According to NHS Blood and Transplant, between April 1st 2010 and March 31st 2011, some 2,055 people donated their organs for transplant – roughly one donor per 30,000 people.