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Irish Kidney Association/Facebook

'Organ donor cards don't work anymore, we need a new approach'

The IKA wants a registry system to be introduced.

THE IRISH KIDNEY Association has said that the country needs to adopt a new approach to organ donation.

The IKA doesn’t believe an opt-out system is the answer either.

Instead it wants a register to be established so people can log their wishes – be it a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ – onto a system.

IKA CEO Mark Murphy told TheJournal.ie this type of registry would work better than the current donor card process.

“The donor card is 36 years old. There’s no space left for it in people’s wallet. 36 years ago it was the only piece of plastic in your wallet.”

Murphy firmly believes the final say about organ donation should still rest with the family of the deceased. Currently, the wishes of a person’s next of kin overrule whether or not a person carries a donor card.

You must give the family the opportunity to say ‘no’, they have that right … Certain beliefs or religions want to bury the body whole.

Last year, the Oireachtas Health Committee recommended that an opt-out system be set up here.

Murphy said opt-out systems have failed in every country where they have been introduced. He thinks it won’t work here because of a lack of supporting infrastructure around organ transplantation.

He said that in the past the IKA “met with resistance” when urging the Department of Health to introduce an organ donation registry.

A spokesperson for the Department said it is currently developing the heads of a Human Tissue Bill “which will, among other things, establish a legal framework in relation to the donation of organs for transplantation”.

It is envisaged that a system combining an opt-out, along with a requirement for family consent, will be included in the legislative proposals.

Murphy encouraged people to discuss their wishes about organ donation with their families.

Want to become an organ donor? Here’s how:

You can download the app or request a card on the Irish Kidney Foundation’s website.

Alternatively, email donor@ika.ie; free-text DONOR to 50050; call 1890 543639 or write to: Freepost, Donor House, Irish Kidney Association, Park West, Dublin 12.

‘Helen didn’t get lungs … but we’ll make sure other people get them because of her’

Joe Brolly encourages families to talk openly about organ donation

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59 Comments
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    Mute Alan Byrne
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    Aug 24th 2021, 6:19 PM

    I hope it can go ahead.

    274
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    Mute Toon Army
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    Aug 24th 2021, 7:10 PM

    @Alan Byrne: No reason now for it not to go ahead.

    121
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    Mute Dan Linehan
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    Aug 24th 2021, 8:02 PM

    Let 40,000 people at a gaa match, Let 70,000 people at a music festival no problem. But for the love of God don’t let a partner into the labour ward to support a pregnant woman or visit their new born child they’ll infect the country. Give me a break. Priorities people please

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    Mute Thomas O' Donnell
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    Aug 24th 2021, 8:13 PM

    @Dan Linehan: He said that something like electric picnic could go ahead with vaccinated people only. Vaccination rates among pregnant women is quite low. Also, hospitals obviously contain a lot of very vulnerable people. So there is consistency in relation to vaccination rates and vulnerability.

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    Mute Dan Linehan
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    Aug 24th 2021, 8:19 PM

    @Thomas O’ Donnell: then separate vaccinated women from non vaccinated women its pretty simple.

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    Mute Mark Dit
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    Aug 24th 2021, 8:48 PM

    @Dan Linehan: sounds like some one wasn’t allowed into a Labour ward. Talk about off topic.

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    Mute OnlyHereForTheComments
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    Aug 24th 2021, 9:26 PM

    @Thomas O’ Donnell: he didn’t even say that. He said that he’d prefer if the people in croke park were vaccinated, given the size of the crowd. EP losing the run of themselves here, again.

    17
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    Mute Gavin Morrissey
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    Aug 24th 2021, 10:03 PM

    @Dan Linehan: Apples and oranges.

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    Mute Welk wrangler
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    Aug 24th 2021, 11:15 PM

    @Dan Linehan: unfortunately partners cannot be let in due to the risk of infecting vulnerable new born babies with a killer virus. Have some cop on.

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    Mute James Gorman
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    Aug 25th 2021, 1:07 AM

    @Dan Linehan: an unvaccinated partner? If so then NO

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    Mute Mark Brown
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    Aug 24th 2021, 6:32 PM

    There’s too much logic being expected here for this to work out.

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    Mute John Lynch
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    Aug 24th 2021, 7:49 PM

    Super Spreader Event.

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    Mute Charles Coughlan
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    Aug 25th 2021, 9:20 AM

    @John Lynch: Correct, exactly what the hurling final was but wouldn’t have been had it been confined to the fully vaccinated only.

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    Mute CAMILA REMONA
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    Aug 24th 2021, 7:53 PM

    Can Garth Brooks headline Fri sat and sun too ?

    36
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    Mute Dave Hammond
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    Aug 25th 2021, 12:33 AM

    @CAMILA REMONA: Garth doesn’t have enough friends in high places i’m afraid…

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    Mute Albert Brennerman
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    Aug 24th 2021, 9:26 PM

    Can someone ask Tony
    https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/aug/23/almost-5000-covid-cases-linked-to-cornish-music-and-surf-festival-boardmasters

    5K cases linked to this one. Latitude one of Mr. Benns 500% increase locally., Lolpolooza all local counties around area sent public health that if you were at to get tested immediately. This was vaccine certs, lateral flow tests etc. The fact is it will not nationally cause an explosion but locally people will pay a price, it maybe a vulnerable loved one’s life. If it was my area and my kids I’d march on the local council. Their is no genuine pinimg here for local artists, its let me print money. Get the guitars back into pubs and small venues the lifeblood of an artists life back open. Liam Gallagher will survive, the local wedding band might not.

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    Mute Dave Harris
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    Aug 24th 2021, 9:54 PM

    @Albert Brennerman: EP is proposed to be open to vaccinated people only. The couple or examples you were able to find (out of hundreds) in Europe were not. If you knew anything about EP (which you clearly don’t) you’d know that there are thousands of jobs and millions of euro to the economy at risk.

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    Mute noper
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    Aug 24th 2021, 8:49 PM

    If EP went ahead it would be soooooooo amaaaaaaaaaaaaazing.

    16
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    Mute Eugene Canning
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    Aug 24th 2021, 7:14 PM

    GAA is more PC!!

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    Mute Chris Gaffney
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    Aug 24th 2021, 7:40 PM

    Tough one for Micheal!!!!

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    Mute Paul Cunningham
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    Aug 24th 2021, 8:01 PM

    @Chris Gaffney: he made his bed by attending the hurling final. He has to deal with the consequences.

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    Mute Billy McNamara
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    Aug 24th 2021, 9:18 PM

    @Chris Gaffney: Houlihan only saving Martin and Coveneys blushes over attendance at final.These scammers and chancers should not be RULING us.Time for change people.

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    Mute Paul Mc
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    Aug 24th 2021, 8:49 PM

    Release the Beast,
    The big Cheese Dr Tony has stated its ok for people with vaccines to party outdoors!

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    Mute JK
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    Aug 25th 2021, 9:58 AM

    Tony Holohan will not allow it because he knows the rate of infection will rise with so many people, being asymptomatic in one place, and they will be infecting each other making for incidences of covid, he knows this but still persists on the vaccines, & he and others like him will call the lady gp from northern Ireland a charlatan for revealing the truth.

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    Mute Garreth Byrne
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    Aug 24th 2021, 8:27 PM

    There are interests and interests in the world of arts, entertainment and sport.

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    Mute Nigel o'Neill
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    Aug 25th 2021, 7:31 AM

    Just right..

    1
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