But there were 72,110 people on the national transplant waiting list at the end of 1999, more than three times as many as in 1990. As of Wednesday, it had climbed even higher, to 74,073. The data comes just a few weeks after Tommy Thompson, the newly installed secretary of Health and Human Services, promised to launch a national campaign to increase organ donation. May. Most efforts to date have revolved around public education, encouraging families to discuss donation before the situation arises. Others have worked to improve the relationship between hospitals and organ banks so that more potential donors are identified.
Research is ongoing about the best ways to approach a grieving family about donation.
An estimated two in three Americans have not indicated their wishes about donation, he said. If the family does not know what the wishes were, they seem to often say no, just because they don't want to make the wrong decision. He also blamed myths surrounding donation. The network's report provides a wealth of statistics about organ transplants in 1999. Each donor produced an average of 3.6 organs.