NSW residents are being urged to decide to give the gift of life, with a four-week campaign encouraging people to register to be an organ donor via the Service NSW app.
Minister for Customer Service and Digital Government Victor Dominello said a new tile would feature prominently on the Service NSW app during this month’s campaign re-directing customers to the DonateLife website where they can register and find out more information about organ and tissue donation.
“For the next month we’ll be using the Service NSW app to boost the number of people registered on the Australian Organ Donation Register,” Mr Dominello said.
“Registering is important because it lets your family and the doctors and nurses know that you want to be a donor. It takes less than a minute and has the potential to save up to seven lives or transform many more through tissue donation.
“In NSW, 41 per cent of adults are registered to be an organ donor, but we want to improve these numbers and potentially save lives with a few taps on the phone.”
Minister for Health Brad Hazzard said organ donation saves more than 1,000 lives in Australia each year.
“By registering, you leave your family with no doubt about your decision to want to become a donor. This campaign is a great opportunity for people to have a conversation with their loved ones to let them know their wishes,” Mr Hazzard said.
Minister for Infrastructure, Cities and Active Transport Rob Stokes said many people who had previously consented to be organ donors were unaware they were no longer on the register.
“When the organ donation registry became a single national system, many people who had previously ticked ‘yes’ to organ donation when applying for their NSW drivers licence were no longer listed as organ donors,” Mr Stokes said.
“This campaign is a great opportunity for people to sign up to the national register and to have a conversation with their loved ones to let them know their wishes.
“We encourage NSW residents to take a few moments to jump online and pledge to give the gift of life to those in need.”
The NSW Government is working to make the tile a feature in the Service NSW app in July of each year as part of DonateLife Week.
The option to become a donor is no longer available on your driver licence renewal form with customers who have not registered on the Australian Organ Donor Register in the past encouraged to do so through the Service NSW app.
For more information on organ donation, please visit the Organ and Tissue Authority website.
