Kochie loses it over organ donation bureaucratic review

The Federal Government has ordered a review of Australia’s multi-million dollar organ donation system concerned that Australian transplant rates are not rising fast enough. And it has Channel Seven’s Kochie riled. It takes us back to our article yesterday about the seemingly never-ending pursuit of reviews and investigations without goals in our country.  s this another investigation wasting our resources? Why not spend the money on the service itself! 

Health Minister Fiona Nash says a major investment of $250 million in the scheme has not led to an intended increase in transplant numbers yet organ donation numbers have risen from 12.1 million in 2008 to 16.1 million in 2014.

Kochie was furious today on air, SBS reports.

‘Get a backbone. You didn’t even ring me as chairman of the Advisory Council to get my view or even tell me it’s coming,’ he said on Channel Seven’s Sunrise.

He alleges the investigation has been pushed by a rich lobby group, ShareLife.

‘This leaves me no choice but to resign from the position and actively counter the tripe dished up by rich lobbyists’.

In 2008 the number of people whose organs were donated after their deaths was 12.1 per million.

Despite a government campaign, that number had only risen to 16.1 people per million last year, the ABC reports.

The Rudd government set a goal for Australia to become a world leader in the field in 2008. At that time the number of people whose organs were donated when they died was 12.1 per million people in 2008.

According to the Government, that figure only rose to 16.1 per million last year.

“Both Coalition and Labor federal governments have made a significant investment in improving Australia’s organ transplant rate,” the Assistant Health Minister Fiona Nash told the ABC.

“However, organ transplant rates have not increased as quickly as intended.

“We’re seeing relatively slow progress over the last six years. I have had some concerns and thought we needed to have a look at this”.

Last year more than 1,100 people received an organ nationally, far fewer than the number of Australians needing a transplant.

Ernst and Young will conduct the review of the donation and transplant program and focus on the Organ and Tissue Authority, commencing next month.

According to the ABC, the power families have to veto their dead relative’s wishes will also come under scrutiny.

The Government said most Australians register to donate their organs, but this wish was overturned on 37 per cent of occasions.

“I’m concerned that when people have made the decision to donate, families make the decision that is against the wishes of the person that has decided to donate,” Senator Nash said, acknowledging the question comes at a difficult time for families.

“We need to look at that circumstance, look at why that’s occurring, and that will be part of the review”.

How do you feel about the review of Australia’s organ donation system?