Today marks a year since the introduction of the new system for organ donation in Wales

Cynon Valley AM Vikki Howells is using the occasion to celebrate the success of the system known as deemed consent.

For the last 12 months, people aged 18 and over who die in Wales having lived here for more than 12 months are now regarded as having consented to organ donation unless they have opted out.

People who want to be organ donors can register a decision to opt in or do nothing, which will mean they have no objection to being an organ donor. Those people who do not want to be organ donor can opt out at any time.

A year on and the system is showing its value the latest figures show that 39 organs from patients whose consent was deemed have been transplanted into people who are in need of replacement organs.

In the two years prior to the introduction of the new system of deemed consent, the Welsh Government made significant efforts to inform the public of the exact nature of the upcoming changes in respect of transplantation activities. During this period the number of organs transplanted increased each year, from 120 between the 1 December 2013 and 31 October 2014, to 160 between 1 December 2015 and 2016.

Vikki Howells AM said:-

“Every organ that is donated has the possibility of giving someone on the organ donor waiting list, the gift of life”

“I am glad to see the new system of deemed consent is making a positive difference to the figures. I expect these positive signs to continue and for this system to make a real difference to the number of transplants operations taking place in Wales.”

“I am incredibly proud that a Welsh Labour Government introduced this landmark system. Wales is the only country in the whole of the UK that has adopted these progressive measures and they will make a real difference to residents in (name constituency/region) and the whole of Wales.”