Australia has substantially lifted its rate of organ donation with more patients benefiting from life-saving transplants.
Parliamentary secretary for health and ageing Catherine King said Australia had achieved a 19 per cent increase in organ donation and transplants in the first five months of this year, compared with the same period last year.
She said 416 Australians received life-saving and life-changing transplants from 141 deceased organ donors.
Ms King said the latest update showed that Victoria had made a significant contribution to lifting donation rates.
"In the first five months of 2011, Victoria achieved a substantial 27 per cent increase in the number of transplant recipients compared to the same period in 2010, with 128 transplant recipient's lives being saved or improved," she said in a statement.
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"Victoria's year-to-date 2011 results build on 2010 outcomes in which Victoria achieved the highest donation rate since national records began with 98 Victorian organ donors saving or improving the lives of 286 transplant recipients."
In 2009 the federal government introduced a $151 million reform package to improve Australia's donation rate - one of the lowest in the developed world.
Ms King said the about-turn in the transplant rate had been welcomed by transplant doctors.
President of the Transplantation Society of Australia and New Zealand Associate Professor Frank Ierino said a major contributor to the success in encouraging families to uphold the donation wishes of their loved one at a time of grief and loss is the better coordination of services at the coalface.
"The appointment of 234 staff, including 162 clinical specialists of organ and tissue donation, located in 77 hospitals nationally, led by a DonateLife State Medical Director, is making a real difference," he said.
Professor Greg Snell from Melbourne's Alfred Hospital said Victoria performed more lung transplants in the past five months than would normally have been performed in previous whole calendar years.
"It is incredibly rewarding to be part of the new national reform program which is clearly saving more lives," he said.
