An overview of transplantation in Australia

Organ donation in Australia has permitted transplantation of the kidneys, heart, lung, pancreas, liver and cornea. Each of these programs has successfully provided life and rehabilitation to Australians with end-stage failure of one or more organs. The programs are supported by an infrastructure of donor coordinators, matching and allocation procedures and national co-operative registries, which record and publish the outcome of each form of transplant. Four national organizations work to promote transplantation: the Transplantation Society of Australia and New Zealand; the Australasian Transplant Coordinators' Association; the Australian Kidney Foundation; and the Australian Co-ordinating Committee for Organ Registries and Donation. Australian donation rates are lower than in many, but not all, comparable developed democracies, however utilization of those donor offers is high, leading to 698 organ transplants being performed in 1993.