Facebook’s organ donor feature rolls out in Australia

Australians now have the the opportunity to save lives through Facebook as the organ donor feature rolls out down under.

The feature, which went live for the UK and the US last week, offers Facebook users the chance to sign up officially to organ donor registries in the hope that their vital parts may save another person’s life after they have died.

The service has already made a difference in California where the rate of registration went up by 800 per cent. The UK has also seen a boost as the number of people registering with the NHS more than tripled soon after the feature was released.

Mia Garlick, head of policy and communications for Facebook Australia and New Zealand, told the Australian Associated Press, “All the medical experts that we talk to believe that broader awareness of organ donation can help increase organ donation rates. We believe that by simply telling people that you are an organ donor, the power of sharing and connecting can really play an important role in increasing organ donation rates.”

The Australian version links to the DonateLife Australia website where users can find more information. Facebook users must have the new Timeline enabled to access the feature and can find it by going to ‘Life event’ and then choosing ‘Health and well-being’ and ‘Organ donor’.