LOTHIANS MSP George Foulkes has called for a move to an "opt out" system of organ donation.
He was speaking just weeks after the 100th pancreas transplant at the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary was carried out on patient Stephen Proctor.
Because pancreas transplants are relatively rare and demand is low there is not as great a shortage as ther
e are of, for example, liver donors.
About 400 people die every year in the UK before an organ can be found. There are 8000 people waiting on a transplant in the UK, including 700 in Scotland alone.
There have been growing calls for a system of presumed consent, rather than one that relies on people to join a register.
Mr Foulkes said: "The staff at Edinburgh's Royal Infirmary do an absolutely wonderful job, transforming the health of people like Stephen Proctor.
"Yet these operations are only possible when the perfect organ matches can be found. With hundreds of Scots waiting on the Organ Donation Register, and thousands across the UK, I think it's high time we moved to a system of 'opt out'.
"A recent survey showed that 97 per cent of Scots approved of organ donation but only 27 per cent were registered. We've got to fill that gap and be bold as politicians, because ultimately this is about people's lives."
The full article contains 226 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
