Queensland looks at changing consent law for organ donation

Organ donation could become easier in Queensland under changes, including the consent process, proposed by the state government.

The Queensland Government is looking to make changes surrounding organ donation. Picture: File photo

Organ donation could become easier in Queensland under changes proposed by the state government to allow doctors to prepare for organ donation before life support is withdrawn.

Public consultation will begin next month on proposed life-changing legislative amendments to make it easier for families to facilitate organ donation as their loved ones near the end of life in a bid to boost the number of viable transplants.

The amendments aim to clarify consent processes and, in certain cases, obtain next-of-kin consent to allow doctors to prepare for organ donation before life support is withdrawn.

Organ quality deteriorates rapidly following death and allowing blood tests and medical imaging for organ matching and administering anti-coagulants before death would help maintain organ viability.

In cases of circulatory death, where the heart permanently stops, there is currently no clear authority for the next of kin, as defined under the Transplantation and Anatomy Act 1979, to consent to these pre-death interventions.

“Organ donation is only possible in a small number of cases, so we need to make sure our laws are as clear as possible to make the most of donation opportunities,” Health Minister Tim Nicholls told The Sunday Mail.

Just over half of Queenslanders have given consent to be organ donors, but in Australia, families of potential donors must always agree to donations at the hospital.

“The biggest stumbling block to donation is when a patient’s family doesn’t know what their loved one wanted re organ and tissue donation,” DonateLife Queensland state manager and nursing director Tina Coco said.

“Around eight in 10 families say yes to donation when you are registered, but this drops to four in 10 when they don’t know what you want.”

Last year 96 Queensland donors and their families gave the gift of an organ to save the lives of 273 Australians who received a lifesaving transplant.

One donor has the potential to save seven people.

In Queensland, organ transplants are performed at the Princess Alexandra Hospital for liver and kidney transplants and at The Prince Charles Hospital for lung and heart-lung transplants. The PA is also the location for the Queensland Kidney Transplant Service and the Queensland Liver Transplant Service. PCH is home to the Queensland Lung Transplant Service.

But from tomorrow the North Queensland Kidney Transplant Service based at Townsville University Hospital will open – the first of its kind outside of the state’s southeast.

“For the first time, people from right across the north, from Cairns to Mount Isa and the Torres Strait, can access lifesaving transplant surgery closer to home, Townsville Hospital and Health Service chief executive Kieran Keyes said. Already 35 patients have been referred to the North Queensland unit.

Originally published as Queensland looks at changing consent law for organ donation