HEALTH professionals and organ donors have warned that paying funeral expenses of people who donate organs should be approached with caution.

A leading ethics body said that patients who joined the organ donor register and whose organs were transplanted should have their funeral expenses paid for by the NHS.

The Nuffield Council of Bioethics believes the move could lead to more people donating organs.

The Government said it would consider the recommendations but donating should be ‘free from any financial consideration’.

Around 110,000 people from East Lancashire are on the organ donor register, but more donors are desperately needed.

Dr Stephen Mousdale, clinical lead for transplantation at East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust and an intensive care consultant, said the area had a particular problem because of its high ethnic population.

Asian people are more susceptible to conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure, yet only two per cent of Asian people carry donor cards.

He said: “The demand for organs in East Lancashire is very high. We have a fairly unhealthy population compared to the rest of the UK so we tend to get diseases such as kidney disease, heart disease and so on at a young age.

“The Intensive Care Society is a little bit reluctant about these proposals from a number of points of view, mainly because we consider organs should be offered as a gift. Bringing in some sort of financial incentive goes against that.

“The individual has the right to choose what they want for themselves and this could muddy the waters.”

Dave Howe, 47, of Osbourne Road, Stacksteads, donated his kidney to a stranger in return for one for his wife Kathleen, who needed a transplant.

The NHS paid his wages while he was off work, but he does not agree with payment beyond loss of earnings – unless it was to the family of a live donor who died during surgery.

He said: “If something like that did happen then your family wouldn’t have to suffer financially as well as emotionally on account of you taking that risk.”

Another healthy donor, father-of-three Steven Norrie, 36, from Altham West, Accrington, who donated a kidney to a complete stranger in an altruistic act earlier this year, said he would be surprised if the proposals came to fruition.

He said: “I think the biggest issue would be who is giving consent, the person or their family? If it’s the family it would put a different perspective on their motivation and become slightly more macabre and a bit more mercenary.”

NHS Blood and Transplant, the specialist health authority which coordinates blood transfusion and organ transplants, said it welcomed debate on the matter.

ghOW TO SIGN UP

  • 8,000 people are on the waiting list for a transplant in the UK
  • On average, three people die every day waiting for organs
  • The NHS Organ Donor Register is a confidential database which contains information about people who wish to donate organs when they die
  • 18million people are on the Organ Donor Register
  • The NHS wants 25 million people to sign up by 2013
  • To register ring 0300 1232323, visit www.organdonation.nhs.uk or text SAVE to 84118.