Third Transplant Scorecard released

Third Transplant Scorecard released since the PM announced the national reform agenda on organ donation and transplants

ShareLife released the September Transplant Scorecard today, which shows a slight reduction in the number of transplants over the last year compared to the June quarter figures - 828 compared to 834 transplants.

Within the past 12 months, over a thousand Australians continue to miss out on a life saving or transforming transplant which would be available if Australia was to achieve the same transplant levels as the world’s leading countries; currently around 90 transplants per million people. By comparison Australia is currently conducting 38 organ transplants for every million people so we have a long way to go to achieve the goal of the Prime Minster’s major new reform package.

The Rudd Government proposed a national reform package to “establish Australia as a world leader in best practice organ donation for transplantation and achieve a significant and long lasting increase in the number of life saving and transforming transplants for Australians” (Press release 2 July 2008). The package documented practices of the world’s leading transplant countries including a nationally coordinated approach; the introduction of dedicated organ donation specialist doctors and other staff in public and private hospitals; and additional staffing, bed and infrastructure costs associated with organ donation and counselling for potential donor families.

The package draws together the best international evidence and practice, as well as the expertise of stakeholders such as the Transplantation Society of Australia and New Zealand, the Cognate Committee on Organ and Tissue Donation, and ShareLife.

ShareLIfe says it will establish Australia as a world leader in best practice organ donation for transplantation and achieve a significant and lasting increase in the number of life saving and transforming transplants for Australians. The experience of several comparable countries demonstrates clearly that a coordinated and integrated national approach followed by sustained effort will over time see real improvements in organ donation and transplantation rates.

The latest Transplant Scorecard indicates that the rates of transplantation are not increasing and ShareLife believes it is imperative that the full World Leading Country Best Practice Package be established as quickly as possible to bring the Australian rates of transplantation to world leading levels and rapidly reduce the unnecessary pain, suffering and death for Australians currently needing or awaiting a transplant.

A state-by-state comparison shows what is possible. South Australia has outperformed the rest of the country and showed early signs of the type of transplant numbers that could be expected and sustained elsewhere if changes to the organ transplant system were changed more quickly.

South Australians are 2.5 times more likely to receive an organ than people living in other states with a transplant rate of 74 per million people. NSW, with the largest population, has a transplant rate below the national average with only 29 transplants received per one million people.

“We believe South Australia has independently put in place some of these initiatives which are contributing to their higher than average organ transplants,” said Dr Martin Cross, CEO of Voicescape and member of ShareLife.

“There is a sense of positive goodwill to achieve lasting change by those at the coalface of organ donation and this augurs well”.

ShareLife will be releasing the next quarterly score card of Australia organ recipient performance in February.

ENDS

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