Adults' opt-in assumed to increase organ donation under new system in Wales

People aged above 18 in Wales will be regarded as having consented to organ donation unless they have opted out, according to a new system launched on Tuesday.

The Welsh government on Tuesday introduced a "revolutionary" new system, which is a soft opt-out system where people aged 18 and over who have lived in Wales for more than one year and who die in Wales will be regarded as having consented to organ donation unless they have opted out.

Wales now becomes the first place across Britain to increase the number of organ donors through such kind of system.

It said that people who want to donate their organ can register a decision to opt in or do nothing, which will mean they have no objection to being an organ donor. For those people who do not want to be organ donor, they could opt out at any time.

A 25-percent increase in the number of organ donors is expected after the change.

Statistics showed a total of 224 people, including eight children, are now on the Welsh transplant waiting list. Fourteen people in Wales died when waiting for a suitable organ in 2014-2015.

"This is a day when we take a ground-breaking step in Wales, which will save lives," said Mark Drakeford, Health and Social Services Minister. "The change to a soft opt-out system for organ donation will deliver a revolution in consent. Organ donation saves lives and increasing the rate of organ donation allows us to save more lives."

"Over the last 20 years, a great deal has been achieved in improving medical practice in the field of organ donation, but if we're going to make further progress we need a leap in consent rates and that is why we have changed the law," he added.

Latest figures show awareness and understanding of the new law has continued to increase in Wales. Endit