For Immediate Release
Member of Parliament for Gillingham and Rainham, Rehman Chishti, hosted the 2017 Organ Donation Week reception in Parliament, attended by organ donors, donor families, representatives from the medical community and over 60 MPs.
Following the event, Rehman said:
“I am a passionate advocate for organ donation and was absolutely delighted to host the 2017 Organ Donation Week in Parliament, in conjunction with the fantastic NHS Blood and Transplant and Kidney Care UK who do such great work in this area.”
“It was a pleasure to meet and hear the stories of organ donors and donor families and to raise awareness of this important cause which could potentially affect any of us or our loved ones.”
“My message is that being on the organ donor register is a great way to potentially save someone else’s life and it is vital that families talk about organ donation so they can determine their relatives’ wishes should they ever be in the position to donate.”
“Last year more than 450 relatives of organ donors declined permission to donate as they were unsure of their relatives’ wishes, which goes to show how just talking about organ donation can save lives. Whilst this is clearly a national issue, it is also a local one: last year more than 28 people in our local area underwent a transplant.”
“It is quick and easy to join the NHS Organ Donor Register and I encourage all of my constituents who are not yet on the donor register to sign up at www.organdonation.nhs.uk or to call the 24 hour donor line on 0300 123 23 23.”
Nationally, there are 6,414 patients waiting for an organ donation, with around 5,000 being kidney patients, and last year more than 457 people died while on the active transplant waiting list. For an organ donation to take place, it is not only the donor who must give permission but also their family.
ENDS
- Photo: Rehman Chishti MP & Fiona Loud of Kidney Care UK