- About postgraduate study
- Part-time study
- Courses
- Order a Prospectus
- Faculties & Departments
- UK students
- EU students
- International Students
- How to apply for your course
- Handy Hints
- Open Events
- Student Recruitment
- Money Matters
- About Us
6 Jul 2011 09:16:57
Organ donation expert Professor Gurch Ranhawa at the University of Bedfordshire is launching an important briefing with the Race Equality Foundation to coincide with National Transplant Week.
There are currently 10,000 people waiting for an organ transplant across the UK. National Transplant Week runs from Monday, 4 July to Sunday, 10 July 2011 and is centred around a campaign called 'What Are You Waiting For?'.
Gurch Randhawa is Professor of Diversity in Public Health and Director of the Institute for Health Research at the University and he has written a paper for the Foundation called ‘Achieving equality in organ donation and transplantation in the UK – Challenges and solutions’.
The Race Equality Foundation seeks to explore what is known about discrimination and disadvantage, and to use this evidence to develop interventions that overcome barriers and promote race equality in health, housing and social care.
It regularly publishes Better Health briefing papers which are written by experts to provide the latest evidence on the health experiences of black and minority ethnic communities. Professor Randhawa’s briefing will be released to help raise awareness during National Transplant Week.
Professor Randhawa said: “Recent research I’ve undertaken highlights that South Asian people are three times more likely to need a kidney transplant than the general population. Almost 1,800 need a transplant, and their chances of success are greater if they can be matched with a donor from the same ethnic origin.
“But with South Asian people accounting for fewer than two per cent of deceased donors, transplant patients from these communities typically wait twice as long as others for a suitable donor to become available. Last year, almost 60 black and Asian patients died while waiting.”
Professor Randhawa is also Co-Chair of the European Working Party on Organ Donation among Diverse Populations and a Member of the UK's National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) Guidelines Development Group on Organ Donation.
He added: “The Race Equality Foundation works really hard to highlight discrimination and inequality and I am delighted to be able to contribute in overcoming these barriers. National Transplant Week is the ideal opportunity to draw attention to the challenges of achieving equality in organ transplantation.”
You can find out more about organ donation and join the NHS Organ Donor Register by telephoning 0300 123 23 23 or visiting www.organdonation.nhs.uk
Latest news» 2011» July» Uni’s organ donation expert teams up with Race Equality Foundation for National Transplant Week
