Organ donors wanted

MORE than one third of Shetland residents have signed up to the NHS organ donor register, but most have probably yet to discuss their wishes with their families.

As well as asking for more people to donate their organs to medical science after their death and potentially save someone else’s life, the health service wants people who have already made that choice to share it with their families.

Almost 38 per cent of people in Shetland have signed the register, but research suggests that only one-in-ten of those have told anyone else about their wishes.

At the moment only about 60 per cent of families allow their relative’s organs to be donated. If this could be increased to 80 per cent, another 90 lives in Scotland could be saved, the NHS says.

NHS Shetland public health director Sarah Taylor said: “This is a really important issue, and we would hope that this publicity prompts local people who haven’t thought about it before to register for organ donation and to have that conversation with their families.

“Despite our distance from the mainland, it is still something that we can all volunteer for, and is a really important way of saving lives.”

People can join the NHS organ donor register by visiting organdonationscotland.org