Facebook announced that they will let 161 million members in the U.S. and 30 million U.K. members share their organ donor status. It is hoped that in doing so, it will push more people to become organ donors and to connect potential donors and recipients.
“What we hope will happen is that by just having this simple tool, we think that people can really help spread awareness of organ donation and that they want to participate in this to their friends,” said CEO Mark Zuckerberg. “That can be a big part of helping solve the crisis that’s out there.”
“I think it’s possible that we will see an impact over the next couple of years, where we would imagine eliminating the transplant waiting list,” said Dr. Andrew Cameron, a transplant surgeon at Johns Hopkins Hospital. “We’ve got 100,000 people waiting. Each donor can help three or four of those waiting. If we could do twice as well as we’re doing now, if we could get another 10,000 donors a year, I think we could have that transplant waiting list down to almost nothing in three or four years. That would be a spectacular moment in medical history and in the history of public health.”
Source: Brand Channel
