5 December 2017

Greater compensation for live organ donors

MP for Hutt South Chris Bishop is welcoming the coming into force of the Compensation for Live Organ Donors Act, just over one year after his Member’s Bill passed in Parliament unanimously.

The Act will ensure that live organ donors receive compensation of 100 per cent of their earnings for up to 12 weeks after the operation. Under the status quo, donors receive the equivalent of the sickness benefit while they recuperate.

“Live organ donors are heroes, and so the new Act will more fairly compensate those altruistic New Zealanders who, through the goodness of their hearts, choose to donate an organ to a friend, loved one, or even a stranger,” Mr Bishop says.

“The new Act will also reduce the financial barriers to becoming a live organ donor. New Zealand needs to improve our organ donation rates, and one big barrier to people becoming live organ donors is the financial hardship a donor suffers through lost wages and other associated costs of recovery.

“My Bill means donors will be neither financially worse or better off as a result of donating. Live organ donors save lives, save taxpayers money, and contribute to a better and healthier New Zealand. I’m proud to have sponsored this new Act into law and I look forward to it helping to create a better New Zealand in years to come.”

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