THE number of registered organ donors is expected to top the one million mark for the first time in Wales this month, the Welsh Government has claimed.

That’s equivalent to one person registering as an organ donor every ten minutes in Wales for the past 20 years, and means a third of the population is registered.

The identity of the one millionth donor is not known but the Welsh Government marked the occasion by encourage more people to sign up.

First Minister, Carwyn Jones said: “This is a fantastic achievement for Wales which has the potential to change so many lives.

“This landmark figure is another step towards reducing the number of people who die while waiting for a potentially life-saving transplant. It is important that we continue to raise awareness of organ donation and encourage more people to make their wishes known.”

On December 1 2015 Wales will become the first country in the UK to introduce a system of presumed consent for organ donation – which it is hoped will help increase the pool of potential organ donors.

From then those who have lived in Wales for more than 12 months, who don’t opt in or opt out, would have been regarded as having consented to organ donation.

To register as a donor and to find out more about the 2015 change visit www.organdonationwales.org or call the NHS Donor Line on 0300 123 23 23.