ORGAN DONATION CRISIS HITS ASIANS

One in five die waiting for a transplant from the BAME communities

Rupanjana Dutta Wednesday 18th July 2018 11:51 EDT
 
 

The Asian community is struggling to save people in need of organ transplants, a shocking report has revealed recently. A rising proportion of people who die in need of a transplant is from a black, Asian or ethnic minority background despite more and more families in these communities supporting organ donation now.

As we go to press, figures from the report due to be launched on Wednesday 18 July explain how NHS Blood and Transplant show that 21 percent of people who died on the waiting list last year was from a black, Asian or ethnic minority background compared with 15 percent a decade ago. One in 10 people who died in need of a transplant last year was also Asian.

Three out of 10 people (30.6% at 31 March 2018) waiting for a transplant across the UK are from a black, Asian or minority ethnic background. 35% of people waiting for a kidney in 2017/18 were from these backgrounds. These patients wait significantly longer for a kidney transplant than white patients - approximately two and a half years compared with two years.

The Government has therefore announced a widespread and new campaign in England to address the urgent need for donors revealed in NHS Blood and Transplant’s annual report into organ donation in black, Asian and minority ethnic communities. The campaign aims to increase donation rates by raising awareness and breaking down barriers to donation within these communities. The Government has commissioned NHS Blood and Transplant to deliver the campaign with support from the National BAME Transplant Alliance (NBTA).

The NHS Blood and Transplant report further reveals only seven percent - 114 - of donors last year were from black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds. This figure is increasing however, thanks to more black, Asian and ethnic minority families saying yes to donation when asked in hospitals. Many times cultural and religious believes act as obstacles to organ donation from the diaspora, though family refusals continue to be the biggest challenge to organ donation among these communities. Only around half as many families support organ donation compared with families from a white background.

Though there has been a small increase in the proportion of opt-in registrations from BAME communities added to the Organ Donor Register (ODR) over the past 5 years; 5.6% of opt-ins in 2013/14 and 7.2% in 2017/18, many BAME groups are poorly represented on the ODR relative to the current UK population. However only 1.9% of British Indians registered themselves according to the report in 2017-18, while it is only 0.4% among British Pakistanis and 0.1% among British Bangladeshis.

Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) groups represent 11% of the UK population according to the 2011 Census. Asians represent 5.1% of the UK population while 2.5% of the population are Black and 3.2% are from other minority ethnic groups. In contrast, at the end of the 2017/18 financial year, 35% of the total number of patients on the waiting list for a kidney transplant were BAME, reflecting a demand for kidney transplantation in excess of that for White patients. This is believed to be attributable to a higher burden of diabetes and kidney disease associated with the BAME communities. For other organs the demand is in line with that for the White population.

Campaign to save lives

Health Minister Jackie Doyle-Price told the newsweekly, “I am delighted that this year more people than ever from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds have received life-saving transplants. This shows great progress, but the fact remains that if you are from any one of these communities you are more likely to need a transplant, for the simple reason that you are more likely to suffer from a disease that requires a transplant. At the same time, you are less likely to get a transplant than if you were white.

 “The campaign we are launching today will be a driving force to save more lives. The Government, MPs, faith leaders, charities, campaigners, influencers, friends and families, all have a role to play to address myths and barriers and bring attention to the lifesaving power of donation.

“Our project will start with a community investment scheme to enable local groups to deliver this vital work. For now, I would ask on behalf of everyone who has received a transplant, and everyone who is waiting for the life-changing news that an organ has been found - sign up to donate and give the gift of life.”

Parents urge for organ donation

The parents of a three-year-old boy who saved the lives of two children through organ donation are urging more black, Asian and ethnic minority families to support donation. Aari Patel died in 2016 following an accident at home. His parents Jay and Sina asked at the hospital whether their son could be an organ donor.

“The doctors were surprised we raised donation before being asked. But if Aari couldn’t be helped any further, Sina and I felt strongly that we wanted Aari to help others. We did not want another family to suffer losing their child or loved one,” said Jay, from Croydon.

“We received a letter informing us Aari’s organs had saved the lives of a boy and a girl. Aari was our shining star, and it is an enormous comfort to know he helped those two children.”

Jay added: “Too many people say no to donation because they think their faith prevents it. There are myths and misunderstandings. We must talk more about the subject with those we love, family and friends, young and old. If more people in our communities supported organ donation, more lives in our communities would be saved.”

Anthony Clarkson from NHS Blood and Transplant told Asian Voice: “While it is encouraging that more black, Asian and ethnic minority families are supporting donation - making more lifesaving transplants possible - change is not happening fast enough and too many lives are being lost.

“Although many black, Asian and ethnic minority patients are able to receive a transplant from a white donor, others may die if there is no donor from their own community.

“We are asking more people from these communities to talk about organ donation and share their donation decision with their families. Words save lives.”

NBTA Co-Chairs Kirit Mistry and Orin Lewis said: “On behalf of our members we welcome the Government’s commitment to launching a campaign to increase organ donors from black, Asian and ethnic minority communities.

“We are also encouraged to be given the opportunity to work in partnership to engage recipients, donors, communities, organisations, and stakeholders to help shape this campaign from a culturally and faith-based sensitive perspective.

“NBTA as the co-ordinated voice for black, Asian, mixed race and minority ethnic communities in transplant donation will help to build trust and create dialogue to inform our communities of the need for more organ donors from these backgrounds, and spread the message of organ donation is a gift of life so help save more lives.”


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