Immediate release
- Minority ethnic patients less likely to find right blood or organ match
- Just 0.1% of blood donors, 0.5% of stem cell donors and less than 5% of organ donors are of minority ethnic or mixed background
A new report was launched in Westminster today, Where are our nation’s donors? by Sarah Olney MP, and speakers, including Beverley De-Gale OBE (ACLT), Mark Bale (APPG Steering Group Chair) and Yaser Martini (Team Margot).
The comprehensive report by MPs has exposed a troubling trend of “inaction” by the NHS spanning over a decade, resulting in avoidable deaths among Black, Asian, and minority ethnic transplant patients. The findings from an inquiry by the all-party parliamentary group (APPG) for ethnicity transplantation and transfusion into organ donation in the UK, highlight a disturbing “double whammy of inequity” faced by minority ethnic and mixed heritage people.
The inquiry revealed that people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities are disproportionately affected by conditions such as sickle cell and kidney disease, making them more likely to require donors. However, they face a significant hurdle in finding suitable blood, stem cell, or organ matches on donor registers. Matching tissue types, a crucial factor for successful treatment, are more likely to be found among donors from a similar ethnic background.
Despite an increase in overall donors in recent years, the all-party parliamentary group’s inquiry report emphasises the stark underrepresentation of minority ethnic or mixed ethnicity people among donors. Only 0.1% of blood donors, 0.5% of stem cell donors, and less than 5% of organ donors come from these communities, resulting in White people being nearly twice as likely to find a stem cell donor and 20% more likely to find a kidney donor.
The report reveals alarming statistics: the chances of finding a well-matched stem cell donor are 72% for white patients but only 37% for Black, Asian and minority ethnic patients. One year after being listed for a kidney transplant, 81% of minority ethnic and mixed-heritage patients are still awaiting a new kidney, compared to 65% of white patients. Additionally, black people are 10 times more likely than their white counterparts to require type Ro blood, which is in limited supply.
The inquiry uncovered a “staggering lack of consistent and detailed ethnicity data” within healthcare systems, posing a significant threat to accountability and the lives of those awaiting life-saving treatments. Notably, these disparities are not new, as the UK Stem Cell Strategic Forum proposed actions in 2010 to address weaknesses in stem cell transplantation services, including enhanced data collection, but implementation remains incomplete.
Key recommendations include:
- Improved governance and accountability
- Improved data, reporting and transparency
- Improved education, awareness and activity
In response to these critical findings, the report calls on the government to take immediate action. It urges the appointment of a minister for transplant and transfusion inequalities and an equality tsar to galvanise necessary changes. The report also proposes a ministerial review of all organisations involved in patients’ transplant and transfusion care. It also notes the need to examine the impact of families’ right to overturn donors’ wishes under 2019 legislation on the number of mixed heritage and ethnic minority donations.
Jabeer Butt, Race Equality Foundation Chief Executive, said:
“Every person, regardless of ethnic background, deserves an equal chance at receiving life-saving transplants and donations when needed. This is a solvable problem, but it requires a shared commitment to action across government, health organisations and communities. Lives depend on it.”
Ends
For Media enquiries contact: 07593454182 / comms@racefound.org.uk
