Britain:British prime minister Gordon Brown yesterday signalled his support for a new approach to organ transplants which would see everyone automatically placed on a register of donors unless they or their families object.
At present human parts can be used only if the individual has explicitly agreed by joining a register. The British prime minister, a previous opponent of the reform, accepted it would save thousands of lives.
Pointing to the Spanish system of organ donation, he wrote in the Sunday Telegraph: "A system of this kind seems to have the potential to close the aching gap between the potential benefits of transplant surgery in the UK and the limits imposed by our current system of consent." His position immediately won support from the Liberal Democrats, but was opposed by many patients' groups and Andrew Lansley, the Conservative health spokesman.
A review in Britain of National Health Service processes on organ donations to be published this week proposes as a first step that every big hospital must have an organ donor specialist skilled in persuading grieving families that the hearts, lungs, kidneys and other vital organs of their deceased relatives should be used to save the lives of others.
Sir Liam Donaldson, the chief UK medical officer, said the current uncoordinated practice in hospitals was poor, with many distressed relatives rejecting requests. Sir Liam backed a presumption in favour of donation, an issue the government review will address fully in a second report later this year.
British health minister Ben Bradshaw said surveys showed 90 per cent of the British public supported donations of human organs, but only 25 per cent had agreed to be donors. He said that in Spain families could still have a veto, even if there was a presumption in favour of donation.
"If it was you or your child or your wife or husband who was going to die because of the lack of an organ you might feel a little bit different about it. There are more than 8,000 patients waiting for an organ donation and more than 1,000 a year die without receiving the organ that could save their lives," he said.
Mr Lansley pointed out that Mr Brown had voted against assumed consent in 2004.
- (Guardian service)