Organ donation system to be reviewed

Health secretary Alan Johnson has announced a review to investigate the organ donation infrastructure in Britain.

Transplants can change thousands of lives a year and the government wants to ensure as many UK nationals as possible receive one if needed, he remarked.

In the past, there have been some accusations of priority being given to non-UK patients as some people from other countries are being referred to Britain to undergo surgery, Mr Johnson continued to note.

He explained the investigation is to ensure the public is confident in the fairness and transparency of the allocation system.

“I have asked Elisabeth Buggins to lead this review to examine policy and practice within the framework of European law on the use of organs from UK deceased donors,” said Mr Johnson.

Ms Buggins, chair of the former Organ Donation Taskforce, asserted it is important to provide clear guidance to the transplant community, concluding she was happy to take control of the investigation.

The Department of Health has also recently launched a scheme to inform smokers how much money they could save up they gave up cigarettes.