We’re appealing for members of the black and minority ethnic (BAME) community to give the gift of life and consider organ donation after their death.
Organ and tissue transplants can often be more successful within ethnic groups, but levels of donation within the BAME community are historically low.
North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust issued an appeal to bilingual-BAME staff to film short videos encouraging members of the BAME community to become organ donors.
Appeals
Ruksana Salim, Lead Nurse for Quality and Professional Standards
Ruksana filmed a video in Urdu. She said: “It’s a sad reality that members of the Asian community are living with illnesses that could be resolved with organ or tissue transplants. Some are even dying earlier than they should.
“It’s a sensitive subject for sure and there are additional cultural issues that we need to be aware of, but we are asking everyone, from every community, to consider organ donation.”
Anchal Dhaliwal, Patient Experience Advisor
Anchal works for the Trust’s Patient Experience Team and filmed two appeals – one in Hindi and another in Punjabi.
She commented: “I was happy to be part of filming the videos.
“It breaks down the language barriers to reach members of the community who may not have English as their first language. It’s a complicated subject, so explaining it in a language they’re more comfortable with will help get the message through.”
Specialist Organ Donation Nurse Clare Fletcher said: “While the new presumed consent organ donation law automatically puts every eligible adult on the donor list, consent from the next of kin is still required.
“We want everyone to discuss their decision about organ donation with their family and friends so that should the worst happen, they know what their loved one would want.
“We need more BAME donors and Ruksana and Anchal’s videos will be a huge help in getting the message out to the BAME community.”
