Benenden Healthcare brings together UK experts to discuss organ donation

Leading UK mutual and ICMIF member, Benenden Healthcare Society, recently addressed the issue of organ donation in the UK in its latest WebTV show.

The show was first broadcast on Tuesday, September 18, and brought together two leading experts to discuss whether the UK should adopt an ‘opt-in’ or ‘opt-out’ system of organ donation.

Lawrence Christensen, Head of Communications & Strategy at Benenden Healthcare said: “Three people die every day in the UK while awaiting an organ transplant and to tackle the problem the government is reviewing how donation works.

“A donor currently has to make it known that their organs can be used after their death – the so-called opt-in system. But now an opt-out system under which your organs can be used unless you expressly ask for them not to be is being considered. This approach should increase the availability of organs for lifesaving transplants but is the concept of presumed consent simply presuming too much?

“Benenden Healthcare discussed this as our ‘big debate’ in the last issue of benhealth, our magazine for members, and now we’re bringing the debate to a wider audience as part of our commitment to raising awareness of important health issues.”

The show will remain available to watch on demand on Benenden Healthcare’s Facebook page – click on the ‘Live WebTV’ tab.

Or non-Facebook users can visit: http://www.studiotalk.tv/show/the-big-debate-on-organ-donation

benhealth, the magazine for members of Benenden Healthcare Society, was recently announced as being in the top 25 in the list of most widely distributed magazines in the UK. The magazine is currently at the 22nd position in the UK.

Note: circulation figures from Consumer Magazines Report, June 2012, produced by the Audit Bureau of Circulation (ABC).

The magazine is distributed four times a year to a total of 356,089 members, with an additional 29,000 members choosing to read it in digital format.