About Careers MedBlog Contact us
Medindia LOGIN REGISTER
Advertisement

Shortage of Organs for Transplant in Canada may be Reduced

by Kalyani Thivakaran on December 29, 2014 at 9:13 PM
Font : A-A+

 Shortage of Organs for Transplant in Canada may be Reduced

The Canadian Institute for Health Information on Thursday released a study which says that Canada could reduce its constant shortage of organs for transplant by harvesting more organs from older donors. About two thirds of potential donors, 1,050 a year, according to the estimates, do not become actual donors. In Manitoba, Canada, it is found that only about 10 percent of eligible organs are harvested and transplanted from deceased donors into patients in need, which ranks the state as one of the worst.

According to the Canadian Institute for Health Information, this scenario can be improved in many ways. The first step would be to harvest more organs from seniors. Fewer than 10 percent of organ donors in Manitoba are over the age of 60. On the other hand, Spain the world leader in organ donation has almost half the donors who are 60+.

Advertisement

Another way, the Institute says would be to allow transplants from patients whose hearts have stopped beating and there is no apparent chance of recovery instead of transplants only from brain dead patients, which is actually practiced in five other Canadian provinces and also in the United Kingdom, where more than 40 percent of deceased donors fall into the former category.

It is also found that there are other areas where Manitoba fares quite well when it comes to organ donations. The study shows Manitoba has the largest number of non-Caucasian population who are donors in Canada. Dr. Faisal Siddiqui, an organ donation physician with Transplant Manitoba's Gift of Life program, says that is something to be very proud of. He adds, "We've worked hard to make sure we reach out to all Manitobans and it doesn't matter race, creed or colour, it's important to us that if people want to give that gift of life and donate their organs at a time when they can't use them, we want to ensure we honour their wishes." Another matter to be appreciated, according to Dr. Siddiqui is that Manitoba has a high number of organs transplanted per donor. "We're at 4.3 organs per donor, compared to a province like Quebec at only 3.2," he says.
Advertisement

Kathleen Morris, who is with the Canadian Institute for Health Information, says that it is very important that people sign up to be a donor and express their willingness to donate to their family. "Quite often families aren't sure what the wishes of someone who has just passed away. So having that conversation is a critical piece in terms of making your wishes clear and giving your family something to go by if they're asked to make that difficult decision," she said. Ms. Morris says more the donors more the benefit for those on the transplant list and also for taxpayers. "Some research has shown that the cost of a kidney transplant over five years is about a quarter of a million dollars less than keeping that same patient on dialysis," she added.

According to reports, in the year 2012, 230 Canadians had died due to unavailability of organs to be transferred.



Source: Medindia
Advertisement

Advertisement
Advertisement

Latest Organ Donation News

How Can T Cells Help Prevent Marrow Transplant Complications?
The discovery of T cells involvement in graft-versus-host disease is a vital step in finding more effective life-saving treatments for bone marrow transplant.
 Keeping the Donor Heart Alive Makes Heart Transplantation Feasible
Donation after circulatory death (DCD) based heart transplantation based can increase hearts available for transplantation, contributing to the health-care systems.
New Artificial Intelligence Technology can Help Pick Donor Organs for Transplant
Picking donor organs for transplant becomes an easy task with the help of new Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology.
India to Adopt 'One Nation, One Policy' for Organ Donation
The Indian Government is getting ready to develop 'one nation, one policy' for organ donation and transportation in the country to save lives.
India Records Over 15K Organ Transplants in 2022: Study
Post COVID-19 there is a rapid revival in the transplant activities, India has attained more than 15,000 transplants in a year (2022).
View All
This site uses cookies to deliver our services.By using our site, you acknowledge that you have read and understand our Cookie Policy, Privacy Policy, and our Terms of Use  Ok, Got it. Close
×

Shortage of Organs for Transplant in Canada may be Reduced Personalised Printable Document (PDF)

Please complete this form and we'll send you a personalised information that is requested

You may use this for your own reference or forward it to your friends.

Please use the information prudently. If you are not a medical doctor please remember to consult your healthcare provider as this information is not a substitute for professional advice.

Name *

Email Address *

Country *

Areas of Interests