Cranbourne has topped the state for organ and tissue donor registrations, with more residents signing up to become potential life savers than in any other Victorian town or suburb last year.
New figures, released for DonateLife Week (28 July – 4 August), show postcode 3977 recorded more new registrations on the Australian Organ Donor Register than any other in 2018.
Across Victoria, 50,626 adults registered for organ and tissue donation in 2018. A total of 769 Cranbourne residents recorded their intention to become organ and tissue donors last year.
Rounding out the top 10 were: Werribee and Point Cook with 756 registrations; Ballarat with 681 registrations; Frankston with 545 registrations; Hoppers Crossing, Truganina and Tarneit with 524 registrations; Grovedale and Highton with 522 registrations; Pakenham with 473 registrations; Croydon with 454 registrations; Richmond with 435 registrations; and Berwick with 406 registrations.
DonateLife Victoria State Medical Director Dr Rohit D’Costa thanked the residents of Cranbourne for joining the Australian Organ Donor Register.
“This is a fantastic effort by the residents of Cranbourne, and I encourage adults across Victoria to follow their lead,” Dr D’Costa said.
“Registering your decision about organ and tissue donation – and talking to your family – is important as it leaves no doubt about your wishes, should the worst happen. Whether your decision about organ donation is a ‘yes’ or ‘no’, it’s important that you make it known.”
Last year in Victoria, a record 193 donors and their families made the decision to donate organs, saving the lives of 529 people. This compared to 148 donors in 2017, when 387 received a life-saving transplant. Nationally, 554 deceased organ donors and their families agreed to donation in 2018, saving the lives of 1544 Australians. By the end of June this year, 219 lives had been saved in Victoria – thanks to the generosity of 83 deceased Victorian organ donors and their families.
There are currently 1551 Australians waiting for a life-saving organ transplant.
To register to become an organ and tissue donor, visit donatelife.gov.au or call 1800 777 203
