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Home > Our Publications > Australian Outlook> 2008> April

New bid to lift organ and tissue donation

THE Australian government has joined with all Australian state and territory governments to reform national efforts to help lift Australia's low rate of organ and tissue donations.
Federal Health Minister Nicola Roxon said that while Australia has one of the world's best records in transplantation outcomes, the rate of organ donation remains well below comparable nations while our transplant waiting lists continue to grow.
"At any one time, over 1,800 Australians are waiting for an organ transplant and many of these people will die before an organ becomes available," Mrs Roxon said.
"At my first Australian Health Ministers' Conference meeting with my state and territory colleagues last year, we all agreed that, despite the dedicated efforts of the many community, medical and government organisations to promote organ and tissue donation, more needs to be done.
"Health ministers agreed to establish a joint clinical and government committee to oversee policy and program reforms to Australia's organ and tissue donation and transplantation sectors, beginning in April 2008.
"The new committee will bring together senior clinical representatives from intensive care, emergency departments, transplantation, organ donor coordination, and eye and tissue banking, as well as the community sector and senior officials from the Commonwealth and state and territory governments," she said.
"The committee will be funded for three years and report to all governments through the Australian Health Ministers' Advisory Council."
Mrs Roxon said an expert group, the National Clinical Taskforce on Organ and Tissue
Donation, had consulted clinical experts and local hospital staff on practical reform ideas throughout 2007. Health ministers are expected to consider its recommendations in April 2008 for implementation by the new joint committee.
The new committee will also:

explore the merits and feasibility of Australia establishing a national organ and tissue donation and transplantation authority to coordinate activity and implement program reforms in the future; and
oversee the ongoing management of the National Organ Donation Collaborative, a project involving 26 hospitals across Australia that share knowledge on sustainable changes to hospital practices to increase the number of organ donors. Funding for the Collaborative will be maintained until at least June 30, 2009, after which an evaluation will be undertaken.