VETERAN fundraiser and local hero Scott Glynn is joining with the Courier to demand the Scottish Government acts now on its pledge to introduce an organ donor system which could save hundreds of lives.

The Scottish Government said last month it would introduce an opt-out system where people would be presumed to be happy to donate organs after death, unless they specifically registered against it.

But it said the reforms to the current system, where people have to register to be a donor, could take up to four years.

Now Tranent man Scott, who is awaiting a liver transplant after he was diagnosed with cancer, is urging them to act faster.

And the Courier is backing his call for a quick introduction of the changes to the law to ensure more lives are saved.

Scott said: “This is something which has to happen now, not years down the line. Lives should not be lost because of delays in legislating.

“Until it happens we are urging everyone to register. They could be saving lives.”

Scott and his wife Carol have been promoting the need for organ donors to sign on to the national register since they became aware of his condition.

Speaking about his diagnosis Scott said one of the biggest NHS failings was the lack of support for patients immediately following diagnosis.

He said: "You are just left at the edge of a cliff looking into an abyss."

READ SCOTT'S STORY HERE

And he stressed support was needed not just for patients but their families, who are often forgotten in the aftermath.

His wife of 30 years, Carol, revealed how she felt she had fllen to the bottom of a pit after hearing the devastating diagnosis.

READ CAROL'S STORY HERE

Iain Gray, East Lothian MSP, welcomed the campaign.

He said: “I have long supported ‘presumed consent’ for organ donation, and all credit to Scott Glynn and the Courier campaigning for a more effective organ donation system.

“The tragedy is they should not need to be campaigning. In the last parliament my colleague Anne Mctaggart brought a members’ bill to introduce presumed consent. It was blocked.

“The Scottish Government promised to bring in their own Bill but have only started to do that now.

“Having at last started to make good on their promise, they need to fast track this legislation through – I for one will support them in whatever they need to do that.”

Scottish ministers have not yet set a target date for introducing the reforms but plan to do so before the next Holyrood election in May 2021.

Announcing the plans, a Scottish Government spokeswoman said: “We need to take the time to get this right. It is a very sensitive issue.

"We will be looking at other countries which have also introduced the system to see how they made it successful.”