Organ Donation Rates Remain Stagnant
A report released Monday by the Canadian Institute for Health Information reveals that organ donation rates have stagnated in Canada since 2006.
Despite public awareness campaigns and an increase in need, the report found that the numbers of living and deceased donations in 2010 were on par with those from 2006. The living donor rate in 2010 was 16.3 per million population, compared with 17.0 in 2006. In 2010, the deceased donor rate was 13.6 donors per million population, compared with 14.0 in 2006.
The report also found that the number of transplants performed in Canada has remained largely unchanged since 2006. In 2010, 557 living organ donors and 465 deceased organ donors contributed to 2,103 solid organ transplants. In 2006, 556 living donors and 461 deceased donors contributed to 2,074 transplant procedures.
While the current donor rates are above 2001 levels, the report finds that the need for organs still outpaces the supply, and that as a result the “gap between organ donations and the need for transplants is growing.”
As we have blogged before, in Ontario, testamentary instructions or stated wishes regarding organ donation (technically) have no legal effect, and depend upon next of kin or the executor for implementation. Therefore, discussing your views on organ donation with your family and your named executor, leaving a Will with specific directions about organ donation, signing your Gift of Life Donor Card, and registering your consent with ServiceOntario are important to ensure that your wishes for organ donation are known and respected after your death.
For more information about organ donation, please visit BeaDonor.ca.
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