GiveLife NZ Campaign for an effective Organ Donation System

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GiveLife NZ Campaign for an effective Organ
Donation System
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Katie
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NZ has the lowest number of organ donors in the
Western World.
Last year there were 29,000 deaths in NZ.
Out of those only 25 people became organ donors.
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Why are we so low on donors?
The Driving Licence Problems
donor
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• No provision for non-drivers

• You can only tick yes or no there
  is no option to specify which organs you want
  to donate.

donor

• 32 to change your licence

• There is no prior information on it

• Urban myths

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• It is not legally binding

• Your driving licence is not checked in the
  event of death

donor

• Your family decide

• If there is no family to askyou will not become
  a donor(Even if you have donor on your licence)

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Other problems

• There are no public awareness campaigns

Why would we bother targeting 3 million people
a year just for another 30 decisions? Colin
Feek - Deputy Director of the Ministry of Health
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The MOH maintain that public awareness campaigns
will not increase the donor rate.
Countries that do well say that public awareness
is critical to their success.
Who would we rather believe. Those at the top
that say it works or us at the bottom who say it
doesnt?
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Despite urgent recommendations, several times
over the years by the Health Select Committee
nothing has happened.
Not one dollar has been spent by the MOH on
public awareness in the past 7 years.
In contrast, Romania recently announced that they
would be spending NZ equivalent of 200,000 pa on
public campaigns
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Other problems

• Organ donors only come from ICUs

• There are only 48 ICU beds pmp

• France has 378 ICU beds pmp USA has 305 ICU
  beds pmp

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Other problems
"We actively control admissions and restrict
admissions where there is no possibility of
recovery." Dr. Peter Hicks ICU doctor and Chair
of ODNZ Advisory Committee
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• International trend

• Falling road toll

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International trend?
The United Kingdom, Austria, Belgium, Germany,
Luxembourg, Slovenia, Sweden, Finland and the
Netherlands have reported an increase in organ
donors in 2006. Canada announced a New record
for organ donation in Ontario. in 2006 In the
US, 35 states reported an increase, Sacramento
reported a 33 increase, New York up 22,
Tennessee up 20. Arizona up 52 North Carolina
reported that "donor numbers are almost doubling
annually. In Maryland, 2006 presented a record
year of organ and tissue donations through the
Living Legacy Foundation
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Falling road toll?
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Why No Veto Bill?
Audit of organ donors
104 people were potential donors(i.e. brain
death in ICU)
Only 38 out of the 104 became donors
31 families refused consent
Doctors did not ask 35 families
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Why No Veto Bill?
Audit of organ donors
45/50 of families say no to donation
As driving licenses are not checked we donot
know how many were intended donors
Surveys show 80 - 91 of New Zealanders want
their wishes to be legally binding
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Dr. Jackie Blue MPPrivate Members Bill
Would establish a voluntary opt on legally
binding register
Would be able to register from age 16
Register as a donor
Register as not a donor
Defer decision to my family
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Jackie Blue Bill
You would be able to specify organs
Would be free to register and change mind
Would be easy to register via internet
Would provide for continuous public awareness
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Government Bill
The bill does not have a stated aim of
increasing organ and tissue donation
ratesStephen McKernan - Director General MOH
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Government Bill
Families are now able to veto your wishes
onthe grounds ofCultural, Spiritual,
Distress
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The Organ Donor Service Position?

In 2003 there were 2 staff. There were 40 organ
donors that year.
They told the Select Committee if they had more
money and more staff they could improve the organ
donor rate by up to 15
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The Organ Donor Service Position?

In 2006 their budget had tripled
Now there are 4 staff, a Medical Director and an
Advisory Board of 13 people
Organ donors dropped from 40 to 25
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Advisory Board
Dr. Peter Hicks Chair of the Advisory Board

Advise on how to increase donor rate
'The fact that other people may die does not
validate efforts to increase the number of
donations.
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Advisory Board
Dr. Peter Hicks Chair of the Advisory Board

"There are a number of situations where organ
donation may be unacceptable to the family."
such as when "a person has assaulted their
partner who is now brain dead."
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Organ Donor Service
Are opposed to a register

Are opposed to wishes being legally binding
Registering a wish to donate organs or tissues
following death can only be considered as an
intent or an indication of a wish to donate.
Informed consent is obtained from the family
following death.
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Organ Donor Service
Are opposed to a register saying they have a low
take up rate.

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Annette King(Previous Minister of
Health)Cartoon
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Jonah Lomu Cartoon
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About LifeSharers

• If you or a loved one ever need an organ for a
  transplant, you may die before you get one.
• You can improve your odds by joining LifeSharers.
  Membership is free.
• LifeSharers is a non-profit voluntary network of
  organ donors. Members agree to donate their
  organs when they die.

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About LifeSharers

• Members give fellow members first access to their
  organs. Non-members can have them if no member
  who is a suitable match wants them.
• As a member, you will have access to organs that
  otherwise may not be available to you.
• Every time somebody joins LifeSharers, the chance
  you will die waiting for an organ goes down.

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Why You Should Join LifeSharers

• NZ has the lowest organ donor rate in the
  developed world.
• In 2006 there were just 25 organ donors in NZ.
• In the past 6 years the transplant waiting list
  has doubled.
• There are presently around 2000 people on
  dialysis.
• In 2006 there were 330 deaths of people on
  dialysis.

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Why You Should Join LifeSharers

• In 2006 there were 433 people on the waiting list
  for a kidney.
• In 2006 there were only 41 kidney transplants.
  (Not including live donors.)
• In 2006 the number of transplants performed was
  at its lowest level in 14 years.
• In 2006 the number of new patients entering
  renal failure programs was 484. A rate of 117
  people per million of population.

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How LifeSharers Works

• LifeSharers members give fellow members preferred
  access to their organs.
• If an organ from a recently deceased LifeSharers
  member becomes available, it must be offered to
  LifeSharers members first.
• If no LifeSharers member needs the organ, or if
  no LifeSharers member is a suitable match for it,
  then the organ can be offered to non-members.

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How LifeSharers Works

• LifeSharers does not match organs and recipients.
  
• LifeSharers does not interfere with the rules
  doctors use to rank organ recipients. Our
  members only ask that their donation be directed
  to the highest-ranking member on the transplant
  waiting list.

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How LifeSharers Works

• Many of the transplanted organs go to recipients
  who are not prepared to be donors themselves,
  while many of those who are willing to be donors
  go without.
• Justice would connect the business of organ
  procurement with the matter of organ
  distribution. Access to organs for
  transplantation should be linked to the
  willingness to be an organ donor. The right to
  receive a donated organ should be tied to the
  duty to offer to donate organs.

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How LifeSharers Works

• People are motivated more by self-interest than
  by altruism. To increase organ donation, the
  incentive needs to be aligned with
  self-interests.
• Agreeing to 'give the gift of life' would no
  longer be an act of pure altruism rather it
  would be an insurance policy. Even the most
  selfish of individuals would be willing to become
  donors if it gave them greater access to the
  hearts or livers that might save their lives.

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How LifeSharers Works

• The benefits of registering under a priority
  incentive program clearly exceed the costs. Even
  after registering, it is extremely unlikely that
  a registrant will donate organs because it is
  rare to die with organs medically eligible for
  transplantation.
• Potential donors can make the trade off between
  the very remote possibility of becoming an organ
  donor and the not-quite-so remote possibility of
  needing an organ.

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How LifeSharers Works

• Opponents of the scheme may say its not fair. In
  fact, it makes the organ allocation system
  fairer.
• What isnt fair is giving an organ to someone who
  wont donate their own, when there is a
  registered organ donor who needs it.
• Its like awarding the lotto jackpot to someone
  who didnt buy a ticket.

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Frequently Asked Questions

• Q Why should organ donors get preferred access?
• A Because if donors get preferred access, more
  people will become donors. This will save lives.
• A Because it corrects an inequity in the
  distribution system people who havent agreed
  to donate their own organs get many of the organs
  that become available.

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Frequently Asked Questions

• Q How do you stop people from joining only
  after they know they need an organ?
• A There is a 180-day waiting period before a
  member gets preferred access. This encourages
  people to join LifeSharers while theyre still
  healthy.
• Q Is LifeSharers legal?
• A Yes. Directed Donation is legal in New
  Zealand.

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Frequently Asked Questions

• Q If I join LifeSharers, can I still donate my
  organs to a family member?
• A Yes. LifeSharers members specifically
  reserve this right.
• Q How much does it cost to join LifeSharers?
• A Nothing. Membership is free.
• Q How do I sign up?
• A Go to www.lifesharers.org.nz or fill out the
  member enrollment form on our brochure and post
  it to us.

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LifeSharers

• Our mission to end the shortage of donated
  organs for transplant operations in NZ.
• Our plan we provide an incentive to donate, by
  directing the donation of our organs to others
  who have promised to donate theirs.

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Organ Donor Service Reaction?

• 1 May 2008 - LifeSharers launched
• 23 May Meeting of the Organ Donor Advisory
  Board
• There was consensus that a policy should be
  developed for ODNZ (Organ Donation New Zealand)
  which would include the following wording

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Organ Donor Service Reaction?

• "In general directed donation of deceased organ
  donors is not permitted on the grounds that is
  contravenes principles of fairness and may give
  the impression of prejudice in organ allocation.
  However, in the rare event that a deceased donor
  had a prior close personal relationship (because
  the person was a family member or friend) with a
  patient on an organ recipient waiting list, it is
  permissible to allow the family to direct
  donation of the appropriate organ to that named
  recipient."

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Funeral Costs?

• Pay the funeral costs of donors?

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Funeral Costs?

• Paying for whole body donations all organs
  has led to a surplus of bodies at Otago
  University. Whilst not paying for parts of
  bodies has led to a shortage of organs for
  transplant
• They do not pay funeral costs but disposal
  costs
• Nor does the payment for the disposal of donated
  bodies constitute an incentive or payment for
  donation.

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For More Information

• Internet www.lifesharers.org.nz
• Email info_at_lifesharers.org.nz
• Phone [phone]

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