Organ transplants: Black people wait up to six months longer, NHS figures show

Black patients wait up to six months longer for an organ transplant than the general population, new NHS data shows.

The best match comes from someone of the same ethnicity - but only 2% of donors in 2021/22 were black, while black people are 4% of the population.

Black families are also less likely to agree to organ donation than white families, the figures show. The NHS says there's an "urgent need" for more people from ethnic minorities to donate.

Winnie Andango from NHS Blood and Transplant said, "Black people wait longer because there's less people coming forward to give their organs from their ethnic group. During covid, so many patients were suspended but those have been added back onto the list, and that means if we had less organs for this ethnic minority group, we have even less right now."

Health Minister Neil O'Brien said: "We need more people, especially those from black and Asian heritage, to register their organ donation decision and share it with their family so loved ones can follow their wishes."

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Source: BBC News, 12 January 2023