28 Oct 2017

Plea for govt to follow through on efforts to boost organ donations

3:03 pm on 28 October 2017

A group supporting kidney patients says the new government must follow through on efforts to boost organ donations.

Surgery

Photo: 123RF

Kidney Health New Zealand's chief executive, Max Reid, said New Zealand had one of the lowest rates of organ donations from people who had died in the world.

About 700 people are on the waiting list for a kidney transplant.

Mr Reid said a Ministry of Health-led strategy to increase donation numbers was released six months ago and there hadn't yet been follow through.

He said a strategy was as good as useless if there wasn't enough funding to deliver it.

Mr Reid said the strategy gave New Zealanders an opportunity to make a significant difference in people's lives.

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