Member for Central Wheatbelt Mia Davies has urged West Australians to register as organ and tissue donors as part of DonateLife’s Great Registration Race being held this July and August.
Ms Davies said DonateLife were aiming to sign up at least 100,000 more donors, helping to give critically ill or injured people a second chance at a healthy life.
“I am on the donor registration list already, but a conversation with a constituent about her experience prompted me to double check and then help advocate for more people to do the same,” Ms Davies said.
“I learned that 9 in 10 Aussies support donation, but only one in 3 are registered.
“It’s also a fact that many Australians think they are registered but they are not so the Great Registration Race is not only about encouraging more people to register but also about asking people to check their registration.”
Ms Davies said a constituent, Chelsey Maloney from Merredin, had recently shared her own experience of being a donor and it prompted her to go and check her own registration.
“The next day I was online with my Medicare number checking my registration through the DonateLife website, it was quick and easy and I’m pleased to say I was already on the list,” Ms Davies said.
Ms Maloney said there were about 7 million Australians registered as donors already, but there were about 13 million that were eligible but weren’t.
“I thank my donor every day for giving me another chance at life, without him and his wonderful family I’d still be on dialysis or not here at all.”
Ms Davies said the impact of COVID on organ and tissue donation had been significant, with a 16 percent decrease in the number of donors and a 12 percent decrease in the number of people receiving a transplant compared to 2019.
“I encourage everyone to have the conversation about donation with their family and registering to become a donor,” she said.
According to DonateLife 1,270 Australian lives were saved through an organ transplant due to the generosity of 463 deceased organ donors and their families last year.
Around 1,800 Australians are on the waitlist for an organ transplant, and a further 12,000 are on dialysis, many of whom may benefit from a kidney transplant.
To check your status or sign up as a donor visit www.donatelife.gov.au.
