An innovative conference addressing the challenges of organ donation in black communities was held at the Calvary Church of God in Christ in Tottenham earlier this month.
The conference was organised by the organ donation committee of the Royal Free Hospital and attracted 85 people. They heard about the process of organ donation from a transplant surgeon, a specialist nurse for organ donation and a health psychologist.
Patients were also on hand to tell their stories, a kidney transplant recipient and liver transplant recipient both shared with the audience how organ transplantation had transformed their lives.
The Mayor of Haringey, Cllr Stephen Mann, attended the conference and thanked everyone for organising this important event.
David Myers, chairman of the Royal Free Hospital organ donation committee and president of the Royal Free Hospital kidney patients association said: “We have to address the enormous gap between the number of black patients who need an organ transplant and the number of black organ donors from the community served by the Royal Free Hospital.
“The conference highlighted the main challenges we face and how we can address them. I am delighted that we worked in partnership with the COGIC to address this important issue and hope to do so with other communities in the future.”
