Load shedding has lengthened waiting lists for organ donations

The load shedding in hospitals due to COVID-19 has had an impact even on the waiting list for organ donations.

Between 2019 and 2021, the number of potential and actual donors fell by 12 and 20% respectively. Four hundred and nine patients received a donation last year, compared to 490 in 2019.

However, still due to load shedding, the waiting list for a donation continues to grow. Before the pandemic, they were 799 names on the list. December 31, 2021: 888.

“At the start of the pandemic, all kidney transplants were suspended for three months. That represents 75 people who could not be transplanted. In terms of liver transplants, there was a form of load shedding, because at the very beginning of the pandemic, we did not want to expose immunosuppressed patients to hospitals, ”commented Louis Beaulieu, director at Transplant Quebec.

In Quebec, nearly one out of two Quebecers has signed their donation card. Yet last year, only 27% of donation referrals were retained. The main reason behind denials is the decision of the family of the deceased. The slowness of the process is singled out.

“The delays in organ donation processes are getting longer and longer,” said Mr. Beaulieu. And when you add up all these delays, for the family who has just suddenly lost a loved one, it is often too much.

Transplant Québec recalls the importance of communicating your last wishes to loved ones, and emphasizes that organ donation can save up to eight lives.

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