2024-01-30 21:12:17
In 2023, 563 British Columbians received organs from 160 deceased donors and 77 living donors. This is the highest number of transplants ever recorded in the province, according to BC Transplant.
These transplants bring to 6,154 the number of people in British Columbia who are alive thanks to organ donations, according to the provincial agency.
“It’s extraordinary that we were able to set a record this year for the number of new transplants,” said Health Minister Adrian Dix.
Kidneys represent more than half of transplanted organs. They are followed by the livers and lungs.
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More than 500 patients waiting
As of December 31, 2023, 512 people were still waiting for an organ transplant in British Columbia.
There is a greater likelihood of needing a transplant than becoming an organ donor, BC Transplant said in a news release. The organization says only 1 to 2 percent of hospital deaths occur in a way that allows for organ donation.
BC Transplant’s director of provincial operations, Edward Ferre, says the province had 28.8 deceased donors per million residents in 2023, the highest rate in Canada.
He says BC Transplant staff work in intensive care units to ensure patients are recommended as potential donors, as required by provincial law.
Overdose deaths and assisted deaths
According to BC Transplant, 24 people in the province donated organs after receiving medical assistance in dying between 2016 and 2022. The organization’s spokesperson, Elaine Yong, says everyone who is eligible has the right to be an organ donor, including people who choose medical assistance in dying.
Additionally, about a third of organ donations in British Columbia come from people who died of illicit drug-related overdoses, according to the Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA). According to the province, in British Columbia, drug toxicity is the leading cause of death for people aged 10 to 59.
Some of these transplanted organs come from people who lost their lives too early due to overdoses. […] This is a very difficult fact to live with for all the people affected by these bereavements.
Adrian Dix added that organ transplants are a source of comfort for some of the bereaved families.
With information from The Canadian Press
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