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Scotland's rate of sign-up to the NHS Organ Donor Register has hit an all time high, according to the latest figures published today.

More Scots have put their names on the register than in any other part of the UK with 37 per cent of the population - or 1.8 million people - now signed up to save a life, compared to the UK average of 30 per cent.

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Last year there were 67 organ donors in Scotland - a rate of 13 donors per million of population, up from 9.8 donors per million in 2006-07.

Last year just under 300 people had their lives saved or enhanced by transplantation and the number of Scottish patients dying while waiting for an organ has decreased by 43 per cent.

Despite this, more than 600 people are still waiting for an organ in Scotland.

Speaking at the 'Organ Donation Scotland' conference in Edinburgh, Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon said:

"I am pleased that more Scots have put their names on the NHS Organ Donor Register than in any other part of the UK. But there's still more to be done and I would appeal to anyone who has not already signed up to consider doing so today.

"Transplants save lives and signing up to the register is easy. Despite this there are more than six hundred people in Scotland waiting on a life saving transplant and, sadly, not all of them will get an organ in time.

"It's great news that so many people are responding positively to our efforts to drive up the numbers on the Register. It's a simple equation - the more people who sign up to the Register and discuss their wishes with their families, the more lifesaving transplants can be carried out."

Case Study

GP Susan Filsell was placed on the waiting list for a liver transplant on 9 July 2010. In February this year her Mum stepped in to give her a birthday present she will never forget and she became the second person in Scotland to undergo a live liver transplant.

At just 21 Susan was diagnosed with Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC), an auto immune disease, which caused scarring on her liver. The 33-year-old was devastated when she was told she needed a liver transplant in July 2010, after becoming seriously ill and was hospitalised for five weeks.

The news meant she had to put her life on hold while she waited for the call that could save her life.

When increasing illness meant Susan had to postpone her own wedding, her Mum decided that she couldn't see her daughter wait any longer and offered to take part in live liver transplant surgery. The risky op has only been carried out once before in Scotland.

She said: "When I was diagnosed with PSC I always knew a transplant was a possibility but never in a million years thought I would need one at this age.

"Despite the illness, I kept fairly well until I began to encounter some complications at the end of April 2010. I was seriously ill in hospital for five weeks, with infection in my bile duct, pneumonia, liver and kidney failure. I had to go on dialysis for eight days and was told afterwards I would need a liver transplant.

"When I was released home I was unable to work so I spend a lot of time hoping 'the call' would come. It never did. It was so upsetting to have to postpone my wedding but I knew I just wasn't strong enough.

"My Mum took the tests to find out if she was a suitable donor. I didn't want her to do it. However, the risks of not doing it may have been greater - three people die each day in the UK waiting on a transplant - and I may not have got my transplant on time. The surgery is so risky, I was on the transplant list up until the last minute - if a liver had become available then Mum wouldn't have to risk her own life to save mine. The operation involved removing over 60 per cent of mum's liver and transplanting it in to me.

"We went into surgery on 23rd February - the day before my birthday. Mum says that it is the best birthday present she has ever given me! To me it feels like more than a birthday - it's a 're-birth day'. I know now that I can think about the future and start enjoying my life again.

"I cannot thank my Mum enough for what she has done for me but I know that if more people joined the register we would never have had to go through this.

"I feel so much better already. I am now focusing on planning my wedding, we have a date set for October this year. I am looking forward to it, we will have something extra to celebrate - the gift of life. I have also been thinking about returning to work as a locum GP later this year.

"I am on the NHS Organ Donor Register and passionately believe all Scots should be. We all have it in us to save a life after our death so please become an organ donor today."