THE Scottish Government has ruled out incentives, such as paying donors funeral expenses, as a way to boost organ transplant rates.
The move comes ahead of a public consultation on organ donation which is to be launched in the coming months.
NHS advisors had previously discussed options to help increase the amount of people on the Organ Donor Register, which included a number of different incentives.
In minutes from a meeting of the Scottish Donation and Transplant Group earlier this year, they discussed the potential of an 'opt-out' system.
They also discussed other options, including "mandated choice, reciprocity, contributions to donor’s funeral expenses and a system of required referrals".
However the Minister for Public Health Aileen Campbell has said that the Scottish Government had "absolutely no plans to offer incentives for organ donation".
She added: "Scottish Legislation forbids the offer of payment of any inducement for the supply of an organ.
"We will be launching a consultation this year on increasing organ and tissue donation, and will bring forward any necessary legislation following this.
"Our consultation will include proposals for a potential soft opt-out system for Scotland."
The Herald's sister paper, the Evening Times, has been a long-time campaigner for a shift to an opt-out transplant system.
This would mean individuals who wish to donate organs after death would not be required to sign up to the organ donor register, as opposed to the current 'opt-in' system.
A 'soft' opt-out system would include further safeguards, such as families still being consulted after the donor's death.
Figures released by the Scottish Government in September showed that 400 people received potentially life-saving transplants last year in Scotland.
However 36 people died and 66 people were removed from the transplant list, including those who had become too ill for surgery.
Suggestions to boost transplant rates, such as the paying for organ donors funeral expenses, have been considered controversial as they could be interpreted as a financial incentive for people to sign up.
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