£250,000 fund aims to increase NI organ donations
Fourteen people in Northern Ireland died last year while waiting for an organ transplant, and now a new £250,000 fund aims to promote donation.
The development marks the first time there has been a dedicated recurrent fund designed to sustain the promotion of organ donation.
The announcement coincides with Northern Ireland’s Organ Donation Discussion Day – held annually on 11 December.
“Tell Your Loved Ones” is the key message of the patient-led day which encourages everyone to take a moment to discuss their organ donation wishes with family and friends.
Chief Medical Officer for Northern Ireland, Dr Michael McBride said: “While Northern Ireland leads the world in live kidney donation and transplantation, around a third of families don’t give consent after the death of a loved one.
“In these difficult circumstances, recalling a conversation with their loved about their wishes in relation to organ donation can often make a family’s decision more comfortable.
“We want to do more to inform organ donation discussion and to assist the families who are faced with this decision, which can help make a hugely positive difference to the lives of others.”
Dr McBride added: “The funding announced today comes on the back of the public’s support for this approach voiced through our public consultation.
“It will further raise awareness about organ donation as well as providing training for healthcare professionals involved in the consent journey.”
According to the Public Health Agency, 45% of the Northern Ireland population has signed the organ donor register.
Two-year-old Dáithí Mac Gabhann is just one of the many people desperately in need of an organ donation – in his case, a heart.
The little boy has had to have countless surgeries already after being born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, which means the left side of his heart did not develop properly.
His parents, Seph Ní Mhealláin and Máirtín Mac Gabhann, were told their son had the condition at their 20-week scan, but only found out that his only remaining option was a transplant in January.
“It was just utterly devastating,” mum Seph said.
“I actually went into shock the first time I heard it, and it took me five or six times of hearing it for it to sink in.
“We always knew that there would be a chance in the future that Dáithí would potentially have to undergo a heart transplant, but we just didn’t realise it would be so soon – he’s so young.”
His parents hope every effort being made to boost donations, and to ensure that families are aware of loved ones’ wishes, will increase their chances of finding a donor for Dáithi.
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