A key recommendation from the inquiry was to allow Victorians to enrol on the Australian Organ Donor Register when applying for or renewing a driver’s licence.
Mr Walsh said having donor status on licences allowed for immediate options in emergencies and urged the government to enact the report’s findings.
“In March this year the Legislative Assembly Legal and Social Issues Committee released its report about urgently increasing the number of organ and tissue donors in Victoria,” Mr Walsh said.
“It has been eight months since the committee’s report was tabled, and I am strongly urging the minister to actually do something, to adopt the recommendations and enable donor registration through driver’s licences.”
The report also recommended an increase to organ and tissue donor resources in regional Victoria, including employing donor specialists in part-time or dual roles.
An Echuca Regional Health spokesperson said organ donations were not performed or managed on-site.
While Goulburn Valley Health no longer has a donation nurse on staff, it does offer organ donation services, with referrals made by the intensive care unit team to DonateLife.
Referrals accepted by DonateLife are managed entirely by the organisation, including mobilising donations and liaising with the patient’s family or next of kin.
Victoria has an average of 23 per cent of the state’s population registered on the AODR, which is below the national average of 36 per cent.
South Australia has the highest registration rate in the country at 73 per cent, and is the only state people can register as a donor via their driver’s licence, per DonateLife.
The report recommended an increase in promotion of the AODR, with registrations able to be completed online, through Medicare or MyGov, or by post or phone.
Mr Walsh said many people had family members or friends who had seen the benefits of organ donation.
“I have known people who have been waiting for years on dialysis, and I also know someone who has benefited from an organ transplant,” he said.
“Of course there are two sides to this story, but I have absolutely no doubt our figures would quickly match South Australia if people were given the licence option — and that saves lives.
“It might save yours.”
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