Real-life stories spearhead national campaign for more minority ethnic community organ donors.
- ORGANise Campaign part of NHS initiative for World Kidney Day on March 10th
- Three short video stories capture the impact of organ donation
- Covid-19 pandemic has impacted on number of organ donations
- NHS data reveals a 25% reduction in deceased donors and a 61% reduction in living donors froma minority ethnic background compared to 2019/20 figures.
A trio of real-life organ donor video stories are spearheading a new national campaign to bolster organ donors from Black, Asian, mixed heritage and minority ethnic communities.
The ORGANise initiative has been launched to raise awareness of the need for more donors from the Black, Asian and other minority ethnic groups with the number of donors falling as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The three short films, produced by Total Insight Theatre and funded by NHS Blood and Transplant Community Investment Scheme, tell three real-life stories to emphasise the need for more donors, the impact of organ donation and how to join the donor register.
The stories shared include Croydon couple Sina and Jay telling how they took the emotional decision to donate the organs of their three-year-old son Aari, who died following an accident, and how the children that received them are thriving.
Walsall student Simran talks about how she used social media to find a kidney donor, having waited five years for a transplant.
Finally, Ritchie, from Southampton, explains how he became a living donor and donated one of his kidneys to his aunt, who now has a new lease of life.
All of the videos can be viewed on the Total Insight Theatre website and are part of a wider NHS donor campaign to coincide with World Kidney Day on March 10th.
Total Insight Theatre CEO Adam Tulloch, said: “ORGANise has struck a personal chord with many of us at Total Insight Theatre, as we are from these minority ethnic communities.
“The stories really do hit home how organ donation can really save someone’s life and it only takes a minute to confirm that all important decision and register.”
Data from the NHS Blood and Transplant service shows that transplant patients from an ethnic background have longer wait times than white transplant patients, while donors from members of the same ethnic background are more likely to be a match.
The videos are part of a wider national campaign by the NHS Blood and Transplant service to encourage more people, particularly from Black, Asian, mixed heritage and minority ethnic groups, to join the national donor register and to also share their wishes with their families.
The need for donors has been raised in the 2020/21 annual report from NHS Blood and Transplant service.
The latest statistics taken from NHS Blood and Transplant’s annual report into organ donation and transplantation in Black, Asian, Mixed Race and minority ethnic communities, show there were just 146 organ donors from a Black, Asian, Mixed Race and minority ethnic background in 2020/21 (84 deceased, and 62 living).This is a 25% reduction in deceased donor and a 61% reduction in living donors compared to 2019/20 figures.
Waiting times for transplants for all ethnicities had improved, but black patients are waiting almost a year longer for a kidney transplant compared to white patients, the report said.
It also noted that over the course of the year, 39.5% of Black, Asian, mixed heritage or minority ethnic families agreed to support donation going ahead, compared to 69% of white families.
A new 10-year strategy, ‘Meeting the Need’ has been recently published by the NHS Blood and Transplant.
To join the register, scan the QR code or use this link www.bitly.com/organregister
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