The Public Health Agency (PHA) is urging everyone to register their organ donation decision and share it with their families, following figures that show more than 12,000 people in the UK have lost their lives waiting for a transplant over the past decade.

The statistics, released by NHS Blood and Transplant to mark Organ Donation Week, reveal that over the last ten years, 4,900 people died while on the active waiting list, including 44 people in Northern Ireland. A further 7,700 were also removed from the active list after becoming too unwell for a transplant, with many dying soon after.

Earlier this year, the transplant waiting list reached its highest level on record, with 8,000 people in the UK actively awaiting a lifesaving transplant due to a shortage of donated organs. Last year, there were 100 fewer deceased organ donors in the UK, resulting in a 2 per cent drop in life-saving transplants.

Aidan Dawson, the Chief Executive of the PHA, highlighted the situation in Northern Ireland. "In Northern Ireland there are currently 153 people on the transplant waiting list, their life on hold awaiting the call for the gift of life," he said. He noted that while support for organ donation in the region remains high at 90% and there is a 59 per cent registration rate, more people need to record their decisions and have conversations to help make their loved ones certain. Despite the challenges, more than 44,000 lives have been saved or improved through deceased and living donor organ transplants in the past decade. So far this year, 35 people in Northern Ireland have received a lifesaving deceased donor transplant, and another 23 have received a living donor transplant.

Health Minister Mike Nesbitt called Organ Donation Week a chance for "small, simple actions that can have a lifesaving impact." He thanked everyone who has already signed the Organ Donor Register.

The Minister reminded the public that the introduction of deemed consent, known as Daithi's Law, in 2023 means that most adults are presumed to have consented to organ donation unless they have explicitly opted out. However, he stressed that families are always part of the donation discussion, which is why it remains vital to sign the register and talk to family members about your decision.

Anthony Clarkson, Director of Organ Donation and Transplantation at NHS Blood and Transplant, commented: "You are more likely to need a transplant than you ever are to be a donor - and most of us would accept an organ if we needed one." He added that by confirming a decision on the NHS Organ Donor Register, a single donor could save or transform up to nine lives.

Mr Dawson reinforced this message, noting that last year, 90% of families honoured a loved one's decision when it was recorded on the register, which made those conversations "so much easier." He concluded by urging anyone who supports organ donation to register their decision, stating, "It only takes 2 minutes to register but it could save the lives of people who so desperately need a transplant."

To find out more, and confirm your support for organ donation, visit: www.organdonationni.info or call 0300 123 23 23.