Hundreds of people sign up for organ donations

More than 480 local chapters have registered in the UK Organ Donation Register and the Gibraltar Dialysis Patients and Friends Association has highlighted the need for more people wishing to join .

Last year, an agreement between the Gibraltar Health Authority and the Hammersmith Hospital in London was signed, which means that people in vital need can access the UK registry and vice versa.

Earlier this year, a local patient was the first in Gibraltar to receive a kidney transplant under the new agreement, and the Association is encouraging more people to "make the decision to save lives" to become a donor.

According to the NHS Blood Transfusion and Transplantation Service, 342 people in Gibraltar joined the service in 2018 and, in the first three months of 2019, 84 people joined.

Next year, the British government will change the membership register after statistics have revealed that while 80% of Britons support organ donations, only 38% do so.

Starting in 2020, all adults in England will be considered potential donors, unless they choose not to participate or they are excluded from it, the UK government recently announced.

The Gibraltar government does not intend to switch to a "disengagement" system.

"Local residents will continue to have the opportunity to sign up for themselves," a spokesman for the Gibraltar government told the Chronicle.

"The government, however, continues to closely monitor developments in the United Kingdom in this regard."

In the UK, more than 6,000 people are currently waiting for an organ and three people die every day on the waiting list.

"Currently, less than half of families give their consent for the organs of their relatives to be given to them if they are unaware of their wishes," the British government said in a statement.

"When families know what their loved one would have liked, they are much more likely to respect their wishes."

The president of the Association of Patients and Friends in Dialysis of Gibraltar, Sunil Chandiramani, received a kidney transplant in 2008, years before the signing of the local agreement.

Ten years after his transplant, Mr. Chandiramani continues to raise awareness of the impact of the donor's decision and how it has given him new life.

"Giving organs can really change so many lives, whether it's the kidney I've received, or the heart, lungs, liver, etc.," Chandiramani told The Chronicle.

"A donor can give a second chance to eight to nine people."

He added, "For me, it was not just a life-saving gift, but a gift for me to change my life and do it more than ever before. I have a second chance to live, a better life and I have to the selfless donor to make the most of it. It is very important to sign the donor register and share your wishes with your family. Let's be united and save lives together. Becoming a donor is an amazing and selfless thing. Donors leave a legacy that few can claim. "

Mr. Chandiramani is in favor of the withdrawal system and emphasizes that this system always involves the consent of the family.

"The opt-out system has been operating in Spain for many years," Chandiramani said.

"In this regard, Spain has the highest donation rates in the world. The alleged consent has been in effect in Wales since December 2015 and this country now has the highest organ donation rate in the UK.

If an opt-out registry is set up locally, Mr. Chandiramani said that a "cultural change" was needed, as organ donation was considered "the natural thing to do".

"Most people do not discuss death in Gibraltar, but arousing conversation is a way to address this taboo and transform lives," said Mr. Chandiramani.

"In my opinion, if society could raise this problem in schools from an early age, the children would discuss it with pleasure with their friends and family. It would be a daily conversation that will only make the decision easier. "

"In my opinion, the change of system would encourage more people to discuss the donation of organs. I am confident that the implementation will result in many more organ donations and lives saved, while keeping the family involved in what will remain a remarkably altruistic gift.

Residents of Gibraltar can register at the UK Online Donor Registry via: www.organdonation.nhs.uk.

It is important to make your wishes known to your family members so that they can help you make the gift of life after death.

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