The Turnbull government has sought to allay fears it will cut taxpayer-subsidised sick leave for living organ donors from the federal budget.

The Department of Health has been emailing prospective donors in recent days saying funding for the Leave for Living Organ Donors program – which pays kidney and liver donors up to nine weeks' leave at the minimum wage, or about $6000 – will cease on June 30.

Health Minister Greg Hunt has criticised Bill Shorten for suggesting the government had bought the AMA's silence. Credit:Jesse Marlow

The letters tell donors that if they want the subsidy they have to undergo surgery before July and lodge their claims by September.

The letters have stakeholders worried that the successful four-year-old program - started by Labor but extended by the Coalition in 2015 - will be cut as part of new Health Minister Greg Hunt's savings drive.