Health Minister Dustin Duncan tabled a motion that asks the Standing Committee on Human Services to review Saskatchewan’s current approach to organ and tissue donation, and recommend ways to improve the rate of donations. The intention to study the issue was outlined in the recent Speech from the Throne.
“There are still far too many Saskatchewan people waiting for a transplant that will improve their quality of life or even save their life,” Duncan said. “Sadly, some will not receive that call in time. That’s why our government has initiated this review.”
It is anticipated that in early June the committee will begin reviewing current efforts to increase donor rates in Saskatchewan, including the best practices in countries that have higher donation rates. The Standing Committee on Human Services consists of both government and opposition MLAs.
“As the Premier said earlier this week, this effort needs to be bipartisan,” Duncan said. “Our government looks forward to working with members of the opposition in order to come up with recommendations that we can consider and hopefully implement in the near future.”
Saskatchewan’s rate of organ and tissue donation is low compared to the rest of Canada and to many developed countries. There were 11 deceased donors in the province during 2015, from a population of slightly more than one million. Across Canada, the average deceased donor rate was almost 17 per million in 2014. Spain had 35 deceased donors per million in 2012, while France, Belgium and the United States achieved rates higher than 23 deceased donors per million.
At the end of March, there were 95 Saskatchewan residents still waiting for a kidney transplant. There were also 68 people waiting for a life-changing cornea transplant. One organ donor can save up to eight lives, and one tissue donor can improve the lives of more than 75 people.
“For someone with a damaged or diseased organ, a transplant is transformational,” kidney transplant recipient Professor Graham Scoles said. “Dialysis allows you to survive, but a transplant allows you to live. I hope this review results in an increase in donations by deceased and living donors.”
After a deceased-donor transplant in the 1990s, Scoles was able to resume full-time plant sciences research and lecturing, in Saskatoon and internationally.
The Saskatchewan Transplant Program has been in place since 1989. It is responsible for organ and tissue donation and transplantation services. The program prepares patients for transplants, provides ongoing transplant follow-up and also assists patients who need to go out-of-province for transplants.
Most kidney and cornea transplants for Saskatchewan people are performed in the province. Pediatric patients, or patients needing transplants other than kidney or cornea, are referred to transplant centres in other provinces.
It is expected that the committee will provide its recommendations for increasing the organ donation rate in Saskatchewan by November 30.
