NHS TAYSIDE is bracing itself for a surge in organ donor registrations in tribute to renowned Dundee kidney transplant patient Ronnie McIntosh, donations that could make it the top donor region in Scotland.
The area has the second-highest rate of organ donors north of the border and an appeal made at the funeral of the popular 62-year-old last week could send the figure soaring higher.
Latest figures show 43.5% of the Tayside population (175,271 people) have signed the organ donor register, an increase of 1.5% in a year and a rate bettered only by Lothian (47.8%). The Scottish average is 40.4%.
Much of Tayside’s latest increase in donors has been attributed to the publicity generated for the cause by Ronnie McIntosh, the double amputee whose kidney transplant gave him a new lease of life and inspired him to carry the Olympic torch through Dundee last June.
At Dundee Crematorium last Thursday, humanist celebrant Dominick Watson told the packed gathering of mourners the greatest tribute they could pay to Ronnie would be for them to register as organ donors.
He was repeating the message of Ronnie himself in an interview with The Courier published three days before his death.
Dr Stephen Cole, an intensive care consultant at Ninewells Hospital and chairman of the NHS Tayside organ donation committee, said there could be a “Ronnie McIntosh factor” in further boosting donor numbers in the area.
“All the publicity generated by a man who was such a pillar of the community and so popular can only help to further raise the profile of organ donations in Tayside,” he said.
Dr Cole said his committee has been successful in improving the rate of organ donation and stressed to people the importance of signing as organ donors so their wishes can be taken into account when they die.
He continued: “Unfortunately, part of my job is, sadly, to break bad news to families of patients who are in intensive care and to tell them that, despite our best efforts, their loved ones are not going to survive.
“Some of these patients could go on the organ donor register but we have to ask their families what they would want to happen.
“The families are already coping with the very difficult situation that they will lose their loved ones and we are asking them to make a difficult decision on top of their bad news.”
Dr Cole said he and his colleagues were pleased so many people in Tayside have registered as donors, as this made it easier to retrieve organs and helped families deal with the difficulties of losing loved ones.
He hoped further publicity in the form of the Ronnie McIntosh factor would raise the number of donations still higher. Donor numbers in Tayside will be checked again next month.
Ronnie’s widow Cecilia said: “This is marvellous news that so many people are signing the register and it seems a lot of them are doing this because of Ronnie.
“Ronnie was running out of chances to live when he got the replacement kidney. It gave him such a boost and it meant everything to him.
“I remember asking him what he wanted for Christmas and he said he didn’t want anything as he’d already got the best present ever the replacement kidney.
“We were overwhelmed by people’s love and kindness at the funeral.
“It’s so very touching to know so many people thought so much of him.
“If a lot of people are signing up as organ donors because of Ronnie, then that is the best tribute to him there could be. Ronnie would love that.”
Dundee’s Caird Park athletics stadium is now to be renamed the Ronnie McIntosh Stadium in memory of the disabled athlete and member of the Hawkhill Harriers.
People can join when registering for a driving licence, applying for a Boots Advantage card, registering at a GP surgery or registering for a European Health Insurance card. Leaflets are also displayed in surgeries, libraries, hospitals and pharmacies.
aargo@thecourier.co.uk