It's a well known fact that there is a desperate shortage of organs in the UK. Over 7,000 people are currently waiting and hoping for a transplant which could with improve or even save their life.
But how does this affect you?
Here in Scotland there are over 700 people waiting on a vital organ. During those long weeks waiting and wondering, around 50 of them die every year.
One day, it could be you, or it could be any one of your friends or family. That's how it can affect you.
And that's why the Scottish Government is urging everyone to get behind a massive recruitment drive to encourage more people to join the Organ Donation Register.
With National Transplant Week in July highlighting the urgent need for more donors, there's never been a more important time to join the register.
Quite simply, if you sign up, one day you might save someone's life. If you don't, you won't.
Joining the Organ Donation Register couldn't be easier, it's quick and simple and only involves a short phone call or a few clicks of a mouse
To sign up and save a life, call 0845 60 60 400 or log on to
www.infoscotland.com/organdonor.
Over 15,000,000 – around 25% of the British population – have made the decision to join the Organ Donation Register. So why do we need more? You may ask.
Because it's not enough, people are still dying. Not everyone who signs up automatically becomes a donor, there are numerous medical factors which can prevent a donation. Longer life expectancy also affects the number of transplants taking place.
Research continues to show that the Scottish public supports organ donation but despite enormous theoretical support the percentage of the population registered is relatively low at around 27 per cent.
Passive endorsement like this, where people support the concept of organ donation but fail to sign up, remains one of the major challenges we face.
That's why the Scottish Government is getting behind National Transplant Week and ramping up its drive to raise the profile of organ donation and increase the numbers joining the NHS Organ Donation Register.
During the month of July the emotive "Kill Jill/Spare Clare" series of TV adverts will run on a number of TV channels and a squad of organ donation experts will be travelling to numerous supermarkets and shopping centres up and down the country in a bid to sign up more people.
Anyone who misses the activity can still easily register, tell their loved ones about it, and maybe one day make a difference.
Just call 0845 60 60 400 or log on to
www.infoscotland.com/organdonor.
Thank you.
Joining the Organ Donation Register is quick and easy, but it might one day save a life.
Please call 0845 60 60 400 or log on to www.infoscotland.com/organdonorThe full article contains 491 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
