Scottish organ donations 'double since 2007'

There are now more than two million Scots registered as organ donors

The number of people who donated their organs after death in Scotland has almost doubled over a six-year period, according to government figures.

A total of 106 people donated organs in hospitals across Scotland last year compared with 54 in 2007.

The statistics showed a 62% increase in organ transplants from deceased donors, with 341 operations carried out.

However, about 600 people remain on the transplant waiting list.

Some 2,110,881 people living in Scotland have now joined the UK Organ Donor Register.

The figure means 40% of the Scottish population has registered, compared to 32% across the UK as a whole.

'Raising awareness'

Public Health Minister Michael Matheson said: "First and foremost I want to offer my thanks to every donor and every donor's family in Scotland who have demonstrated such kindness and benevolence in the face of tragic and difficult circumstances.

"It is our responsibility to ensure that people's organ donation wishes are respected and to ensure that we make every donation count."

Mr Matheson added: "It's important to remember, however, that around 600 people in Scotland are still waiting for an organ and we must be doing all we can to give them hope."

Peter McGeehan, 64, from Dunfermline, suffered serious heart failure and was listed for a transplant in 2004. In the ten years since a heart transplant, the father-of-two said he has thought about his donor every day.

He said: "People take living for granted, but as I approach the ten-year anniversary I can honestly say there's never a day where I've woken up and haven't thought about my unnamed donor."