Thanks to the generosity of 454 organ donors, and their families who said yes to donation, 1,224 Australian received a life-saving organ transplant in 2022.
The release of the 2022 Australian Donation and Transplantation Activity Report shows early indications that recovery has begun towards pre-pandemic levels of organ donation.
An 8% increase in deceased organ donors and a 4% increase in the number of people who received a transplant from 2021 shows early signs of recovery from the impacts of COVID-19.
The report shows that around one third of Australian organ donors did so at Victorian hospitals - 144 generous Victorians becoming organ donors in 2022 alone, resulting in life-saving transplants for 371 people.
Victoria is leading the nation's recovery with the highest number of donors, and a 30% increase in donation since 2021.
Pressures on hospitals, restricted family visits, increased risks to immunosuppressed patients and staffing have all created challenges. Since the pandemic began, the number of organ donors and people who have received a transplant has dropped by 15%. The number of families saying yes to donation has decreased to 54%, down from 59% in 2019.
Very few people get the chance to be an organ donor - only around 2% of people who die in hospital can be considered. Increasing the number of people and families who say yes to donation is critical to saving more lives.
Around 8 in 10 families say yes to donation if their family member is registered. This drops to 4 in 10 if their family didn't know they wanted to be a donor.
For around 1,800 Australians on the waitlist for an organ transplant, it can be a matter of life and death. A further 14,000 people are on dialysis, some who may benefit from a kidney transplant.
