Oireachtas committee backs opt-out organ rules

Irish patients will be subjected to blanket opt-out organ donation rules if a new report by a major cross-party group is signed into law.

The call was made in a detailed document yesterday by the Oireachtas health committee, which said the change is needed to save the lives of people waiting for transplants.

Under the proposals, which were unanimously backed by committee members, the Department of Health will be asked to change the current opt-in system — which means only people already signed up as donors can have their organs harvested — for an opt-out approach.

The proposed change means a patient can be presumed to be in favour of donating in fatal circumstances, although their next of kin will still have to be asked for permission.

Speaking at the launch of the report, which can be read in full at irishexaminer.com, committee chair and Fine Gael TD Jerry Buttimer said the suggested policy shift is key to cutting existing donor waiting lists.

“Countries that have changed to opt-out systems have seen significant increases in their rates of organ donation,” he said.

“Over a three-year period after making the change to opt-out systems, Belgium saw its rate of organ donation increase by 100%, while over the same period, Singapore saw an increase of a massive 700%.”

He said the €2m in extra funding called for to help change the system will be recouped by giving just three people kidney transplants who otherwise would require services for 15 years costing an estimated €680,000 each.

The rule change prop-osal, which has been sent to Health Minister James Reilly for consideration, received a warm welcome from Cystic Fibrosis Ireland and the Opt for Life group.

The latter organisation — which includes GAA pundit Joe Brolly, who donated a kidney to his friend Shane Finnegan earlier this year — said it “firmly supports” the opt-out system call.

“Waiting lists for organs continue to rise in Ireland and we can no longer maintain the status quo which is failing patients the length and breadth of the country,” it said.

“People are dying and this new proposal presents the beacon of life for many.”

However, the Irish Kidney Association has questioned whether the proposed policy shift will make a real difference and has suggested resources would be better used elsewhere.

“It should be all to do with infrastructural changes. That €2m could be better used to bring in organ donor co-ordinators in hospitals,” said IKA chief executive Mark Murphy.

“The organ donor co-ordinator role [a person trained to discuss the realities of donor families during serious hospital treatments] is what improves rates.

“The opt-out rule won’t really change anything, because families will still have to be asked.”