Australian gov't commits to improving low organ donation rate

The Australian government on Tuesday committed to improving the rate of organ donation after a report found there were not enough donated organs to meet demands.

According to the report from Ernst and Young, Australia's Organ and Tissue Authority needs to improve transparency, accountability and governance of the program if it were to improve donation rates in Australia.

As a result, the government has vowed to overhaul how organ donation is promoted to the public in order to raise the rate, which currently sits at 16.9 donors per million population (dpmp).

The government has previously stated it wants to raise the rate to 25 dpmp, and Rural Health Minister Fiona Nash said the 24 recommendations would assist the government in meeting that target.

Currently, Australia is ranked 22nd in the world for organ donations.

"The review found that while the strategy is sound, there is significant room for improvement in the delivery," Nash said on Tuesday.

"We've done pretty well over the last eight years, but there are many things we can do better."

Meanwhile Transplant Australia has welcomed the recommendations, with Chairman Jason Ryan telling the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that implementing changes could result in Australia being a world leader in organ donation.

"We want to see every suitable organ made available for transplantation," Ryan said.

"Although there's been some great success, we believe there is more that can be done.

"The government needs a roadmap, and we believe this review will get us right on the track to that exact roadmap."

However the government has ruled out an "opt-out" donation system, whereby Australians are automatically on the national transplant list, but can request to be taken off.

Instead, Nash said, a newer streamlined online consent system would be unveiled to encourage more Australians to sign up. Enditem