BAME organ donations are at a record high

Statistics from NHS Blood and Transplant reveal that 121 BAME people donated their organs after they died last year, the highest number to date.

Although the NHS warns there is still a chronic shortage of BAME donors, the figures indicate an increase of 51 per cent in the last five years.

Donor ethnicity is important as blood and tissue types need to match for a successful transplant. However, a lack of BAME candidates has resulted in a disproportionate number of minorities on transplant waiting lists. Just eight per cent of all deceased donors were from BAME communities last year, with 32 per cent of those on the waiting list being from BAME backgrounds.

The NHS Blood and Transplant data also revealed that 42 per cent of BAME families agreed to organ donation by a deceased relative when asked in hospitals, compared with 71 per cent of families from a white background.

Millie Banerjee, chair of NHS Blood and Transplant, said: “Although the steady rise in donors and transplant recipients from black, Asian and minority ethnic communities is positive progress, the shortage of organs for transplant remains critical. For every person from a black, Asian and minority ethnic background who gave the gift of an organ last year, there were 15 in need of a transplant to save or drastically improve their lives. Tragically, many will die waiting.

“We know that families who haven’t discussed organ donation often decide it’s safer to say no when faced with the possibility of donating a relative’s organs. Not having the conversation means opportunities for lifesaving transplants are being lost.”