Australia: Paid leave scheme for organ transplant donors

[Clark]

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-07-05/pay-scheme-for-organ-donors-federal-government/4801992

Paid leave scheme for organ transplant donors
By Carolyn Herbert

Northern Territory residents wanting to donate a kidney or part of their liver will now have access to a paid donor leave scheme.

The Federal Government scheme gives living donors six weeks paid leave after a donation.

Parliamentary Secretary for Health and Ageing, Shayne Neumann, says the scheme will encourage even more people to donate their organs.

"We are providing six weeks at the national minimum wage of $622 dollars a week ... to people who are employed or self-employed," he said.

"People who make donations of a kidney or a partial liver are incredibly generous and charitable.

"We want to help them and remove barriers."

Organ donations in the Territory have doubled over the past 12 months.

Last year, the Territory achieved its highest donation outcome of 29 recipients, compared to a total of 26 in the previous three years.