Donor opt-out

It was encouraging to see your story (4 May) about the British Medical Journal article on opt-out legislation. It showed the flaws in the Department of Health taskforce report, which clearly failed patients and their families waiting for transplants.

The BMJ article confirmed that changing the law to one of presumed consent for organ donation has the potential to deliver 68 per cent of the organ donors that making donation mandatory would give.

Its authors argue that the Department of Health UK taskforce, which did not represent all of the country, did not consider all the relevant evidence, particularly on relatives' refusal rates, and that the current policy, however reinforced, will not substantially increase the number of organs available.

By modelling different scenarios, they show that only a policy of presumed consent will substantially increase the number of organs available for transplantation. It is breathtaking that evidence like this will not be viewed seriously as, according to NHS figures, more than 10,000 people in the UK currently need a transplant.

Of these, 1,000 each year – three a day – will die waiting as there are not enough organs available.

ROY J THOMAS

Kidney Wales Foundation

Radnor Court

Cardiff