ORGAN DONATION 
Transplants are one of the most miraculous achievements of modern medicine. They involve the donation of organs from one person to another and enable about 2,700 people to take on a new lease of life in the UK every year
Kidney transplants are the most commonly performed. Transplants of the heart, liver and lungs are also regularly carried out. As medicine advances, other vital organs including the pancreas and small bowel are also being used in transplants. Tissue such as corneas, heart valves, skin and bone can also be donated
There is a serious shortage of donors. More than 8,000 people in the UK currently need a transplant to save or dramatically improve their lives but fewer than 3,000 transplants are carried out each year due to the shortage of organs. About 400 people die every year while waiting for a suitable organ to become available
The Human Tissue Act 2004, which came into force on 1 September 2006, gives priority to the wishes of the 13.5m people on the NHS Organ Donor Register, donor card carriers and others who have said they want to help others to live in the event of their death. It means that relatives no longer have the legal right to overrule a loved one’s wish to donate organs or tissue
You can join the NHS Organ Donor Register by calling the Organ Donor Line on 0845 60 60 400 or visiting www.uktransplant.org.uk
NHS
Direct 0845 46 47 www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk
