MPs question organ donations stand

By FRANCESCA MOLD

Health officials are resisting pressure for a national campaign to encourage New Zealanders to donate their organs despite concerns that the country has one of the lowest donation rates in the world.

A parliamentary select committee yesterday considered a petition on the shortage promoted by Aucklander Andy Tookey, whose 20-month-old daughter Katie will die if she does not get a liver transplant.

Mr Tookey has secured support from film-maker Peter Jackson for the making of a television commercial highlighting the need for New Zealanders to donate organs so that other lives can be saved.

He said crew working on the latest Lord of the Rings movie would film the commercial in the next couple of months. It will be directed by teenage film-maker Cameron Duncan, who is dying of cancer.

Mr Tookey said yesterday that he was disappointed the Ministry of Health had turned down an offer to be involved in the commercial.

"It may seem like I'm being a vulture by raising the issue of organ donation. But I want people to know it is all right to talk about it and that precious lives can be saved."

Only about 10 New Zealanders per million donate their organs when they die.

That compares with Spain on about 39, the United States 26, Canada 24, Britain 13, Poland eight and Greece one.

Last year, the families of 37 New Zealanders donated their relative's organs. But the waiting list for organs sits at about 400.

MPs at yesterday's hearing questioned health officials over the shortage.

They were incredulous when the ministry's deputy director-general of clinical services, Colin Feek, indicated there was little support for a national education campaign.

Dr Feek said the idea had been discussed with the organ-donation office. "But their feeling was, why would you target four million people for 30 decisions in an intensive-care unit every year. How effective is that going to be?"

Dr Feek said public awareness programmes in Britain and Australia had not lifted donation rates.

Funding was instead being directed to educating intensive-care unit staff about the donation process and how to approach families.

Dr Feek said an Auckland study had found that 102 of the 1400 people who died in intensive-care units between April 1999 and March 2000 were suitable donors.

Doctors had approached the families of 69, but only 35 had agreed to allow the removal of the organs. Some families were simply in denial over the death. It was also difficult to get approval for donation from Maori and Pacific Islanders because so many family members were involved in the decision.

Dr Feek said if there were potential improvements to be made in New Zealand's donation rate, it was in educating doctors and nurses.

"Looking at the figures, there is potential for improvement but actually it might be quite limited," he said. "The difficulties lie in New Zealand's culture about whether people want to donate or not."

He said the Spanish had a high donation rate because they took a "coercive" approach, which meant families were asked repeatedly if they wanted to donate.

The Spanish also kept dying people on ventilators longer so families had more time to decide.

"We don't prolong death unnecessarily in New Zealand by keeping people on ventilators."

Green MP Sue Kedgley questioned the officials about why New Zealanders received information about donation only in a pamphlet handed out with a driver's licence.

Dr Feek said about 42 per cent of drivers (1.1 million New Zealanders) were registered as donors. But that decision was not legally binding. Doctors were still required to get family approval to take the organs.

National MP Lynda Scott said it would be better if consent forms were sent to people so that their next-of-kin were aware of their attitude before they were asked to decide at a time of intense trauma and grief.