Minister opens new premises for organ and tissue donation

29/10/00
Health Minister John Day will today open the new offices for DonateWest, Western Australia's Organ and Tissue Donation Centre.
Mr Day said the premises would provide much improved public accessibility to resources and information on this very important social and medical issue.
The Minister also encouraged Western Australians to become organ and tissue donors to help improve and even save more lives.
"The obvious value of transplantation in the service of human life has been widely recognised," Mr Day said.
"However, it is largely through agencies such as DonateWest that it is becoming more mainstream in our society.
"It is extremely important to realise that just one donor is able to substantially improve the quality of life for more than 20 people.
"For example in 1999, the 50 people who donated organs and tissues gave life and health to more than 450 Western Australians."
Mr Day said many lives could be saved or improved if more people made the commitment to register.
"So far this year in Western Australia there have been 18 organ donors and 66 tissue donors," he said.
"If the current trends continue there may be as many as 21 organ donors by the end of the calendar year - about 11 donors per million people."
Mr Day said there were approximately 180 patients presently waiting for a kidney transplant in Western Australia.
"Everyone of those people's lives would be dramatically improved by a successful kidney transplant."
Mr Day said the recent Why Wouldn't You campaign run by the Transplant Promotion Group had already resulted in more than 36,000 newly-registered donors, and it was hoped that success would continue.
The DonateWest team coordinates all State-wide donor services including:

• improving donor identification;
• providing support to donor families;
• enhancing bereavement services; and -
• educating the public and medical community about the importance of donation.

Mr Day said the State Government had committed $1 million over the next three years to DonateWest, which had been based on successful organ donor agency models overseas and in South Australia.
He said as a registered organ donor himself, he hoped that improved accessibility and information for the public would enhance the level of community support for this life saving program.
Western Australians can register as organ and tissue donors at an Amcal Pharmacy or by contacting the State Registry.
Media contact: Carole Cowling on 9213 6600