Health Minister Mike Nesbitt welcomed the growing support for organ donation.
In the 30th year of the NHS Organ Donor Register, more than one million adults in the North have registered.
Last year, “Daiti's Law'' was implemented in honor of 7-year-old Daithi Mak Govan, who has been on the heart transplant waiting list since 2018.
Adults in the North are now considered potential donors unless they choose to opt-in or opt-out or belong to an excluded group.
Mr Nesbitt said: “Organ donation is a life-saving gift, and with the number of people waiting for a transplant exceeding the number of organs available, we need to do everything we can to encourage and promote organ donation. It is essential that we do so.”
“This means not only improving the infrastructure that supports donations, both living and deceased, but also continuing education and fostering informed conversation.”
| region | Overall consent/approval rate for deceased donors in 2024 | Number of living donors per million population in 2023/24 |
|---|---|---|
| Northern Ireland | 66% | 25.7 |
| Scotland | 61% | 15.6 |
| wales | 56% | 14.7 |
| england | 60% | 10.3 |
