A RECORD number of Scots received a life-changing organ transplant last year, new figures have revealed.

Almost 350 people who were waiting for a transplant were able to have the surgery they needed. A further 82 people received a new kidney from a living donor in 2016-17.

The year 2016-17 also saw the highest ever number of cases where peoples organs were donated after their death.

A total of 133 people who died in Scottish hospitals became organ donors, up from 99 the previous year, according to figures from NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT).

This means that Scotland now has the highest organ donor rate per head of population than anywhere else in the UK, at almost 25 per million.

Public Health Minister Aileen Campbell said the increase in donations was "fantastic news" which shows "real progress"

The number of people who are waiting for a transplant has fallen to the lowest ever recorded, with almost 2.4 million people in Scotland now on the NHS Organ Donor Register - approximately 45 per cent of the population.

There were also a further 39 families who agreed to allow their loved one’s organs be donated, but the donation was unfortunately not able to proceed.

Some organ donors also donated tissue and there were also a significant number of deceased donors who were not able to donate their organs, but did donate tissue, such as their eyes, heart valves or tendons.

But despite all this Ms Campbell said more needed to be done to ensure as many people as possible can benefit from transplant surgery.

The Scottish Government has just carried out a consultation about moving to a "soft opt-out" system of donation - where a person's organs could be taken for transplantation after death unless they had specified this should not happen.

Ms Campbell said: "An increase in deceased donor numbers of 34 per cent is not only really positive news for people waiting for a transplant, it puts us ahead of our target in progressing to reach 26 deceased donors per million of population by 2020.

"And it means that more Scottish residents than ever before received a life-changing transplant, although we know that there is still more to do to ensure that as many people as possible can receive the transplants they need.

"We must always be mindful that most organ and tissue donation can only occur as a result of tragic circumstances and I'd like to thank every donor and their family who made the selfless decision to donate their organs or tissue and enabled others to live and transform their lives."

Our sister Paper The Evening Times has been campaigning for the donor system in Scotland to be changed to an opt-out register, where people are automatically placed on a list of potential donors unless they say otherwise.

Last month almost 18,000 people signed a petition launched by 38 Degrees saying they would be happy such a system to be put in place.

The Scottish Government is considering the proposal.

Ms Campbell added: "I'm very grateful to staff across the NHS in Scotland who work tirelessly to ensure that people's donation wishes are respected and that every donation counts.

"Our consultation on a soft-op-out system closed recently and the responses are currently being independently analysed. We have a presumption in favour and will be setting out our next steps in the coming months."