THE impact of living kidney donation on those with kidney failure has been highlighted as part of a new drive.
NHS Dumfries and Galloway have emphasised how living kidney donation plays a vital role in increasing donation and transplantation rates, with a kidney from a living donor generally offering the best outcomes.
There are two routes to living kidney donation – directed donation where a friend, relative or partner donates to a loved one, or non-directed altruistic donation which involves a person donating to a stranger.
New research shows that four out of five people in Scotland would be likely to consider donating a kidney whilst alive to a family member, with almost half stating they’d be likely to consider donating to a friend, and 13 per cent saying they’d consider donating to someone they didn’t know.
Magnus Rodrigues, clinical lead for organ donation in Dumfries and Galloway, said: “Through raising awareness that living kidney donation is an option, the hope is that more patients living with kidney failure can avoid or reduce the time they have to spend on dialysis and have a better quality of life.
“A healthy person can lead a completely normal life with one kidney, and anyone can volunteer to find out more about donating, but it must be something they choose to do and feel comfortable doing.”
For more information visit livingdonation.scot
