Transplant Québec says there were 888 people on the waiting list on Dec. 31, representing the highest increase in a decade.
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The number of people awaiting organ transplants in Quebec increased by 10 per cent in 2021 compared to 2020, Transplant Québec said Wednesday, describing it as the highest increase in a decade.
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According to the organization’s figures, on Dec. 31 there were 888 people on the waiting list, compared to 802 in 2020 and 820 in 2019.
The increase reverses a downward trend in previous years, according to Transplant Québec general manager Louis Beaulieu. “It worries us because these are 86 people, it’s not just a number.”
There were 34 people who died waiting for a transplant in Quebec last year, nine fewer than in 2020 and 16 fewer than 2019.
The number of transplant recipients increased to 409 in 2021, after falling to 390 in 2020. In 2019, there were 490.
In 2021, 144 donors died in Quebec, one more than the previous year, resulting in 505 organ transplants. Almost two-thirds of donors were between 50 and 60 years old.
Quebec hit a record 72 lung transplants last year, continuing a trend of the past three years. The number of people waiting for a lung transplant is the lowest it has ever been.
About 70 per cent of people awaiting a transplant in Quebec need a new kidney, compared to 19 per cent waiting for a liver and six per cent for a heart.