'Letter to the Editor'

For Publication (hopefully!)

I would like to clarify a few misconceptions that Dr.Stephen Streat may have on our campaign for an effective organ donation system in the article ‘To Give Or Not To Give?’ (March issue.)

The impression he gives is that we are trying to demand or get legislation to 'force' people to become donors. This is far from the truth. We have advocated all along that it is a personal decision to be or not to be a donor. What we want is for there to be the information put out into the public domain so that they can make an 'informed choice.' We would prefer people not to be donors if that is still their choice after they know the facts, not because of some ‘urban myth’ they may have heard.

Currently there is no public awareness on the subject (apart from what we are doing) and most people would get their impression of organ donation from the often wrongly portrayed scenes in movies and 'soaps.'

We are all for putting money into ICU doctor training as Dr. Streat and other medical professionals suggest, as that is where the donors are. But, the Minister of Health, in reply to a recent Parliamentary question on the matter admitted that only 26 doctors have attended these courses over four years. You can lead the horse to the water...

Why only 26? ¹In a survey of Australian and New Zealand Intensivists one-third do not believe that it is their role to request organ donation. Although two-thirds believe that the family should always be approached for organ donation, another 52 out of 254 indicated that it was their (the intensivist's) role to decide if families should be asked for organ donation.

It is our view that if doctors want to make intensive care their speciality then going on these intensive care related courses should be mandatory.

Putting money into ICU should not mean that no money goes into public education and awareness, getting the publics' support, as it is ‘their’ organs we are asking for is paramount to the success of an improved system. No one item will work on its own; they are all part of the same jigsaw puzzle.

Dr.Streat claims that “it is a myth that organ donation makes your grieving better." Since the article has been published we have had many people who have donated their loved ones organs contact us to say he is wrong and it did, and does help them.

Dr.Streat suggests that ideally 'he,' with others should run a new National Organ Donation agency. Though as he also points out "my belief is pretty damn unique in transplant medicine."

It is our view that if this was to become the case we would  not expect to move up the list from our present position of third lowest for the number of organ donors in the civilised world anytime soon.

¹ Department of Intensive Care, Westmead Hospital, N.S.W., Australia.

Andy Tookey

GiveLife NZ