Central Coast News

Less than a third of Australian adults are on the national Donor Register, despite the majority of Australians being willing to donate. Registering your decision is important as it leaves your family in no doubt of your decision to save the lives of others.

In 2015, organ donation proceeded in 91% of cases where the deceased was a registered donor. This drops to just 52% if the deceased was not registered and the family had no prior knowledge of their wishes.

The theme for DonateLife Week2016 is ‘What are you waiting for? Join the Australian Organ Donor Register online and discuss your donation decision with loved ones. With more than 1,500 people waiting for a transplant, we need to optimise every donation opportunity to save more lives.

The Australian Organ Donor Register (AODR) is the only national register to record your donation decision:

• You can register online or update your existing AODR record via your myGov Medicare online account – or download the Express Plus Medicare mobile app – no paperwork needed!
• You can also register online or download a registration form at donorregister.gov.au
• If you previously registered your donation decision when applying for or renewing a driver’s licence you need to join the AODR to make sure your details are current (only South Australian residents can register via their driver’s licence registry).

DonateLife Week is Australia’s annual awareness week in support of organ and tissue donation and is led by the Organ and Tissue Authority.