Organ transplants in Ontario have increased by 22 per cent in five years

Organ donation, transplant and donor registration data for fiscal 2016/17 now available

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TORONTO, May 16, 2017 /CNW/ - More lives are being saved than ever before as a result of leading organ and tissue donation practices implemented in Ontario by Trillium Gift of Life Network (TGLN), Ontario hospitals and other partners.

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In the 2016/17 fiscal year (April 1, 2016 – March 31, 2017):

• 1,256 people received a second chance at life through transplantation, thanks to the generosity of donors and their families (compared to 1,029 in 2012/13);
• 354 deceased organ donors (an increase of 90 per cent over the last decade), and 242 living organ donors gave the gift of life;
• 2,247 tissue donors enhanced the lives of thousands through the gift of eyes, bone, skin, and heart valves; and
• Nearly 250,000 people joined the growing list of 3.8 million Ontarians who have registered consent for organ and tissue donation.

Currently, 31 per cent of Ontarians have registered their decision to donate, giving hope to over 1,500 patients waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant. Trillium Gift of Life Network is working to build a culture of donation in the province, one in which the majority of eligible Ontarians are registered.

To date, only 18 of 170 Ontario communities have met or exceeded the 50 per cent registration rate benchmark. Find out how your community is doing at www.BeADonor.ca/scoreboard.

Resources:

• Register or learn more about organ donation at www.BeADonor.ca;
• Donation and transplantation statistics are available by hospital at www.giftoflife.on.ca/en/publicreporting.htm/.

Trillium Gift of Life Network is a not-for-profit agency of the Government of Ontario responsible for planning, promoting, coordinating and supporting organ and tissue donation for transplantation across Ontario and improving the system so that more lives can be saved.

SOURCE Trillium Gift of Life Network