Over a third of Scots on donor list

The number of people on the NHS register rose by almost 7 per cent in 2010, with 113,517 people joining since December 2009, the Scottish Government said yesterday. There are now 1,841,419 potential donors, representing more than a third of the population.

However, 600 people remain on the waiting list for a transplant in Scotland, with three people dying in the UK every day while waiting for a donor organ.

Health secretary Nicola Sturgeon said: "Signing up to save a life is easy, yet it's potentially one of the most generous things any of us will ever do.

"It's great news that so many people are responding positively to our efforts to drive up the numbers on the register. It's a simple equation: the more people on the register, the more life-saving transplants can be carried out.

"But there's still more to be done and I would appeal to anyone who has not already signed up to consider doing so today."

Rachael Boon, 18, helped to launch this year's NHS organ donor advertising campaign having just undergone a second liver transplant. Her mother Bev urged people to consider joining the register. She said: "When we knew there was a match we were filled with such relief and fear.

"We were also overwhelmed with gratitude for the person who agreed to organ donation and offered our child the gift of life."