A LACK of kidney donors means people from ethnic minorities wait twice as long as white people for a kidney transplant.

Of the 210 people on the transplant list in Lancashire there are 38 from Asian, black and other ethnic minority communities who can expect to wait up to six years longer than the average three year wait.

Health chiefs say people from these communities are much more likely to need a transplant because they are more prone to conditions such as diabetes and heart disease, which can cause organ failure.

Preston mother-of-three Bilkis Mohammed, 41, has been on the transplant list for two years after being diagnosed with kidney disease during the pregnancy of her third child, Nassar, eight.

He was born by Caesarean section three months prematurely and Mrs Mohammed, of Highrigg Drive, Broughton, has been on dialysis, three times a week, for the past two years.

"A kidney transplant would mean the family and I could do the things 'normal' families do," she said.

"I can't remember the last time we went away on holiday together. Although the hospital is very good, and will sort things out, it takes a lot of planning.

"Being on dialysis also makes me very tired.

"I've had to cut down my hours at work and even a simple shopping trip will leave me with aching joints."

The number of people needing a transplant is expected to rise over the next decade due to an ageing population, an increase in kidney failure and scientific advances resulting in more people being suitable for a transplant.

The shortage of donors was the focus of a special conference yesterday (Wednesday), organised in conjunction with the University of Central Lancashire, Preston, where community and religious leaders came together to discuss the escalating problem and devise a 12-month action plan.

Helen Bradley, organ and tissue donor liaison sister, Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: "The shortage of organ donors is a life and death timebomb for thousands of people and it is set to become worse unless we act now."