Bryson Backs Brown

New government proposals to boost the number of people on the NHS Organ Donor Register have been backed by leaders of the University’s ‘My Friend Oli’ campaign.

Campaign leader and University Chancellor Bill Bryson said he welcomed “anything which would help increase the number of organ donations and help improve the rate of organ transplants.”

Hannah Barham, the student co-ordinator of the campaign, added that it was “a big step forward for our campaign. The current situation should not be allowed.”

Currently there are 8000 people in the UK awaiting organ donation but only 3,000 transplants are carried out each year. Dedicated organ retrieval teams, and a doubling of transplant co-ordinators were among the plans announced by the government’s Organ Donation Taskforce, set up in 2006 to tackle low donation rates.

Earlier this month Gordon Brown said he wanted to begin a national debate on organ donation, claiming many more lives would be saved if an “opt-out” system was in place.

However, the Taskforce did not address this controversial proposal. Barham said: “Whilst I fully back the proposals for an ‘opt-out system’ you have to wonder how many people have died while waiting for the changes to be made.”

Both Bryson and Barham renewed calls for students to sign up to the register. Bryson said: “It only takes a minute, but for someone, somewhere, it might be the most important minute you ever take.”

The ‘My Friend Oli’ campaign has attracted support since its launch last year. 95 per cent of Durham students surveyed said they would sign up to the register, although due to the registration method it is impossible to tell how many have done.