Information for media - ANZKX program

Media outlets may wish to consider a story on the ANZKX program and its benefits.

Anonymity between donor-recipient pairs involved in chains must be respected and all journalists must follow the ANZKX program media protocol (846KB PDF).

Please direct any media enquiries to the Organ and Tissue Authority media team.

Key facts for journalists

  1. A kidney transplant is the best treatment for kidney failure. There are 2 ways a transplant may occur: using a deceased donor or a living donor.
  2. Deceased donor transplant waiting times for patients on dialysis are prolonged. As at January 2021, over 1,200 dialysis patients are waiting on the Australian transplant list and over 400 patients are waiting in New Zealand.
  3. Living kidney donation accounts for over a third of all kidney transplants in Australia and New Zealand. However, up to 30% of living kidney donors who come forward to be assessed to donate directly to their loved one are found to be incompatible. In this scenario paired kidney exchange is considered.
  4. Paired kidney exchange is an established transplantation practice around the world for living kidney donor pairs that are incompatible.
  5. The Australian Paired Kidney Exchange Program became operational in 2010 and the New Zealand Kidney Exchange started in 2011.
  6. The Australian and New Zealand Paired Kidney Exchange (ANZKX) programs successfully merged in 2019, resulting in increased transplantation numbers on both sides of the Tasman Sea.
  7. Over 25 kidney transplant units participate in the program across Australia and New Zealand.
  8. The program’s national coordination centre is based at Royal Melbourne Hospital. A computer matching algorithm is used to facilitate matches.
  9. At the end of 2020, the program had facilitated over 370 kidney transplants. It accounts for up to 20 to 25% of all living kidney donor transplants in Australia and New Zealand.
  10. Non-directed altruistic kidney donors account for over 25% of kidney transplants generated in the program.
  11. Transplant outcomes from the program are excellent and equivalent to directed living kidney donation.

We want all Australians to talk about organ and tissue donation. If you want to be a donor, make sure you tell your family and friends.

Registering is easy and only takes one minute. All you need is your phone, Medicare card and one minute to register.

It doesn’t matter how old you are, your medical history, your lifestyle, what country you’re from or how healthy you are — you can still register as an organ and tissue donor.

The Organ and Tissue Authority acknowledges the traditional owners of country throughout Australia, and their continuing connection to land, sea and community. We pay our respects to them and their cultures, and to elders both past and present.

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