Scotland has recorded the highest organ donor registration figures in the UK.
Six months after the country switched to an opt-out transplant system, new figures show more than half of people in Scotland (54%) have registered their decision – 51.5% to be a donor and 2.8% choosing to opt out.
The system was introduced on March 26 try to increase the number of transplants available for people on the waiting list with illnesses including kidney failure. It followed a long-running campaign by the Herald's sister title, The Evening Times.
Under the new laws, anyone aged 16 and over who hasn't registered an objection will be considered a possible donor if they die in circumstances in which they could donate.
Around 500 people are currently waiting on an organ transplant, but only around one per cent of people die in a way that makes organ donation possible.
In Wales, which was the first country to introduce an opt-out system, consent rates for donation reached an all-time high of 77% in 2018/19, after they were as low as 58% in 2015/16.
Scotland's Public Health Minister Maree Todd said: “Over half of adults have now recorded their donation decision – the highest percentage in the UK.
“Donation remains a personal decision and everyone has a choice.
"We are committed to continuing to raise awareness of the choices people have under the opt out system and the importance of making their donation decision known.
“I would encourage people to make a decision about donation, record their decision on the NHS Organ Donor Register and tell their family and friends, so they know what you would want to happen.
“We have made tremendous progress in increasing donation and transplantation in Scotland over the last decade, with the move to opt out part of a package of measures to reduce the number of people in Scotland waiting for a transplant at any one time.”
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