Insight for Sunday 22 September 2013

Organ donation in New Zealand may have reached a crossroads.

There are 700 people on a waiting list for a kidney transplant, patients whose lives will be substantially improved or even saved if they get one.

Organs come from both deceased and living donors.

Image: Kidney Specialist, Nick Cross, with patient, Grant Rothwell, at Christchurch Hopsital

But deceased donor numbers are very low compared with other similar countries and some say changes may be needed to increase it.

As Radio New Zealand’s Health Correspondent, Karen Brown (right), has been finding out, attention is focussed increasingly on live donation, with suggestions that better support is needed for those who volunteer to provide an organ.