Healthcare workers connect a donor organ to a perfusion machine
(Picture: PA Media)Six in ten London patients awaiting an organ transplant are black or Asian, according to new figures, as the NHS issued a fresh appeal for donors to come forward.
Data released by NHS Blood and Transplant (NBSBT) revealed that 62 per cent of people on a waiting list for an organ transplant in London were of black or Asian heritage as of March 2022.
The figures lay bare the challenges faced by ethnic minority patients in securing an organ transplant.
In a report released on Thursday, NHSBT said there was a significant need for more organ donors of Black and Asian heritage.
Family consent or authorisation is still much lower for potential donors from ethnic minority backgrounds. Overall consent rates were 40 per cent for ethnic minority donors last year, compared to 71 per cent for white potential donors, similar to rates from the previous year.
Families not knowing what their loved one wanted remains one of the main reasons for organ donation not going ahead, the report said.
Out of a total 1,192 people who were waiting in London, there were there were 401 Asian (33 per cent) and 349 black (29 per cent) patients compared with 326 white patients.
Nationally, there were 1,237 people from ethnic minority backgrounds waiting for transplant and by March 31, 2022 this had risen to 1,967. This is because many patients who were temporarily suspended from waiting during the pandemic were added back onto the waiting list, the report said.
Family consent or authorisation is still much lower for potential donors from ethnic minority backgrounds. Overall consent rates were 40 per cent for ethnic minority donors last year, compared to 71 per cent for white potential donors, similar to rates from the previous year.
Winnie Andango, Lead nurse for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion for Organ Donation at NHS Blood and Transplant, said the chances of finding are higher when a potential donor is of the same ethnicity
Belinda Otakponmwenhi, 43, from London, is currently waiting on dialysis for her third kidney transplant after becoming ill when she was just 15 years old.
After two previous transplants which both eventually led to rejection, Belinda has waited almost five years for another chance.
She said: “Living on dialysis is like living in limbo, you cannot plan and it defines your whole life. My first kidney transplant changed my life; I was free from dialysis and felt I was given a second chance.
“I could study again and at the age of 25 I began a degree at university. I was also given the freedom to live, travel, have adventures, to plan and have the chance to visit family in Nigeria. I missed them so much when I was on dialysis.”
She added: “Dialysis takes up so much of your time. Four hours a day, three times a week and then I need time to rest and recover after too. I feel shackled. I have been ill for 26 years and have lived on dialysis for over 10 years of my life.
“However, there is hope; by talking about organ donation and joining the NHS Organ Donor Register you are agreeing to give someone that gift of a second chance. You are not just giving an organ, you are giving someone a miracle, a second chance, a reason to be.”
Ms Andango said: ““There remains an urgent need for people of Black and Asian heritage to discuss and share their support for organ donation. Currently over three-quarters of people waiting for a transplant in the UK are waiting for a kidney. These patients can be saved by those who donate after death or by a living donor.
“With the number of people waiting for kidneys continuing to rise, the chances of finding a suitable donor are higher when a potential donor is of the same ethnicity. Families are much more likely to support donation if they know it is what their loved one wanted. Please join the NHS Organ Donor Register and speak with your family today.”
Health Minister Neil O’Brien said: “We need more people, especially those from Black and Asian heritage, to register their organ donation decision and share it with their family so loved ones can follow their wishes.”
