We’re having a short vacation in the city of Adelaide, capital city of the Australian State of South Australia – 1320 km (820 miles) west of Wollongong.
This has given me cause to reflect on the very different (to the rest of Australia) system of organ donation in South Australia.
Organ transplantation is a matter for State law rather than federal law in Australia. Given this, South Australia has embarked on a model of a network donor co-ordinators pro-actively identifying potential sources of donor organs – a model similar to that used in Spain. [footnote 1]
I realise that this might, to a casual reader, sound a wee bit calculating and macabre. But what can I say - these very sad events happen (sudden and accidental death), and to my mind it at least provided some small solace to the grief-stricken family of the person who gave me his/her kidney that that person was helping 7 or 8 other people (and their families) change their lives.
In 1996 the South Australian Government also launched a state-based organ donation – the South Australia Organ Donation Agency [footnote 2]. In this regard this State was far ahead of its state counterparts in Australia and 12 years ahead of federal action with the formation in 2008 of the Australian Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation Authority.
South Australia’s proactive stance in matters of organ donation has led it to a statistical figure of 17 donors per million population (dpmp) (or even 20 dpp according to Lawrence), against a national median of 10 dpmp. [footnote 3].
What does this mean for the average Australian citizen?
For some time, the statistically best place to live in Australia if you needed an organ transplant has been South Australia.
Its not right that one's chance of success in an organ transplant should be in part tied to where one happens to live in a nation - especially when the overall rate for organ transplantation in my country is so relatively poor for an advanced nation. It is to be hoped that the new national authority will be able to work to fix such inequities.
And now, Pauline and I are going to hit the town!
I realise that this might, to a casual reader, sound a wee bit calculating and macabre. But what can I say - these very sad events happen (sudden and accidental death), and to my mind it at least provided some small solace to the grief-stricken family of the person who gave me his/her kidney that that person was helping 7 or 8 other people (and their families) change their lives.
In 1996 the South Australian Government also launched a state-based organ donation – the South Australia Organ Donation Agency [footnote 2]. In this regard this State was far ahead of its state counterparts in Australia and 12 years ahead of federal action with the formation in 2008 of the Australian Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation Authority.
South Australia’s proactive stance in matters of organ donation has led it to a statistical figure of 17 donors per million population (dpmp) (or even 20 dpp according to Lawrence), against a national median of 10 dpmp. [footnote 3].
What does this mean for the average Australian citizen?
For some time, the statistically best place to live in Australia if you needed an organ transplant has been South Australia.
Its not right that one's chance of success in an organ transplant should be in part tied to where one happens to live in a nation - especially when the overall rate for organ transplantation in my country is so relatively poor for an advanced nation. It is to be hoped that the new national authority will be able to work to fix such inequities.
And now, Pauline and I are going to hit the town!
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FOOTNOTES
1 – Thomas M and Klapdor M (2008), The future of organ donation in Australia: moving beyond the ‘gift of life’. Parliament of Australia – Research paper # 11 2008-09.2 – Lawrence A (2004). Presumed consent organ donation under Australian law. Student assessment, Australian Medical Association / Australian National University LAWS internship program. Pp 8 – 9.
3 – Thomas M and Klapdor M (2008), The future of organ donation in Australia: moving beyond the ‘gift of life’. Parliament of Australia – Research paper # 11 2008-09.
- Image credit: the picture of the evening skyline of Adelaide is from the 2009-2010 schedule of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Dance Company.
