Rise in transplant operations as more families donate

THE number of life-saving kidney, heart, pancreas and liver transplants during the first nine months of the year is already higher than the total rate for 2010.

Figures revealed before the European Day for Organ Donation and Transplantation, which takes place tomorrow, show a growing number of families are signing up to provide the vital help to hundreds of seriously ill patients.

Between January and the end of September there were 137 kidney transplants from 77 deceased donors, and a further 24 from living donors.