merrion street

Dr  James  Reilly,  Minister  of  Health today (Monday 26th March, 2012) in launching  National  Organ  Donation  Week,  said he was pleased to confirm continued  support  for  this  year’s  Irish Kidney Association campaign by providing  a  grant  of  €150,000 from National Lottery funds. The Minister stated that "I am very pleased to say that we are making funding  available  from  lottery  funding  for  the  Irish Kidney Association to promote their Donor  Awareness  Service  and  support  the great work they do in terms of supporting those who are awaiting transplants and indeed encouraging others to be donors."

The  Minister  acknowledged  that  the health service faces many challenges including   the  increasing  demand  for  organs  for  transplantation.  He congratulated  the  Irish  Donor Network for its continued efforts to raise awareness of the need for organ donation and said that transplantation adds years   of   life  as  well  as  quality  of  life  to  organs  recipients. Ironically, however, its success, has led to organ shortages in Ireland and throughout  Europe,  and  so  heightens  the  need  for  more donations and transplant procedures to be undertaken.

The  Minister  said  “transplantation is financially, ethically and morally the  right  thing to do.  More transplants will reduce the number of people on  dialysis and lead to much better life prospects for those individuals”. The  Minister  added  "not  alone  can  this save lives but can improve the quality  of  life hugely and also is financially viable given the cost of a transplant  against  the  cost  of  maintaining a patient on dialysis for a year".

The  Organ Donation and Transplantation programme depends on the generosity and  altruism  of  the  families  of those who have died.  He commended the generosity  of  the families who must make the decision to donate at a very difficult time so that others can be given a second chance at life.

ENDS

Press and Communications Office,

Department of Health,

(00 353) 1 635 3036/4159/4519/3042/4160

www.healthupdate.gov.ie