§ Mr. DalyellTo ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the oral answer of 20 May 1997,Official Report, column 505, concerning shortages of organs, what was the outcome of the talks with the United Kingdom Transplant Support Service Authority, the medical profession, the British Kidney Patients' Association and the National Kidney Federation; and what are the latest figures for organ shortage.[44070]
§ Ms JowellA publicity committee, including clinicians and people from the relevant voluntary organisations, has been set up to help the Department develop a new organ donation publicity campaign to start in the autumn. We are watching with interest a postal campaign being conducted by the British Kidney Patients Association. My noble Friend the Minister of State, Department of Health, Baroness Jay of Paddington, had discussions recently with the newly appointed chairman of the United Kingdom Transplant Support Service Authority (UKTSSA) who is giving urgent consideration to this problem with health officials. A review of UKTSSA is due this year. We will continue to consider options for the way forward in organ transplantation, working with the professional and voluntary organisations involved.
2,788 solid organ transplants were performed in the United Kingdom in 1997, of which 1,523 involved the transplantation of kidneys. At the end of May 1998, 6,474 people were awaiting organs, 5,684 of them for kidney transplants.