Number of UK patients awaiting a transplant reaches record high

The number of people in the United Kingdom waiting for an organ transplantation reached an all time high of 7234 in March this year.

But although the number of patients waiting for an organ has never been higher, the number of transplantations being carried out has also reached a record level. In the 12 months to March this year a total of 3074 transplantations had been carried out, 10% more than in 2005-6.

The UK Transplant Authority says that more organ donors are urgently needed to keep pace with the rising number of people awaiting a transplantation. …