Over half of the People of Scotland are now on the organ donation register. Latest figures show an increase of 148,000 taking the number registered to 2.8 million, 51.7%.

550 people are still awaiting an organ transplant, however there were 829 people who received one last year.

If you have not already registered and would like to do so you can find out more  here: Organ Donation Scotland

Joe FitzPatrick, Public Health Minister in the Scottish Government  said:

“It’s great to have a record number of people on the Organ Donor Register. This increases the chance of a potentially life-saving and life-changing gift for someone this year. However, with more than 550 people still waiting for a transplant, I would encourage people to consider making it their New Year’s resolution and join the Organ Donor Register. One donor can save up to nine lives and transform even more by donating tissue.

“Thanks to the generosity of donors and their families and the work of the NHS, we’ve seen great progress on organ donation over the last few years. We are working on a number of measures to increase donor numbers and save the lives of more people in Scotland.

“The move to a soft opt-out scheme aims to further increase the number of donors, while honouring the donation decision that a person has made in life.”