Plan to increase organ donors
DRIVERS licences will be stripped of organ donor preferences and specialist medical staff will be brought into NSW hospitals to combat the state's critically low donation rate.
NSW Health Minister Jillian Skinner announced plans this week to remove all donor status from the licensing system as of November.
Instead, anyone who wants to be a donor can register on a national database run by Medicare.
Under the new plan, "requesters" - nurses skilled in broaching the topic of donation with relatives -will also be employed in the state's hospitals.
Ms Skinner said it was hoped the new system would increase the chances of more viable organs being matched with potential recipients.
"Last year, NSW hospitals identified 215 potential organ donors who were medically suitable to donate," she said.
"Of those, only 77 actually donated organs."
For more information about organ donation visit www.donatelife.org.au
