Statement
April 26, 2024 | Ottawa, ON | Health Canada
This week is National Organ and Tissue Donation Awareness Week. There is a critical need for more donors across the country. Every year, many Canadians receive life-saving organ transplants; however, thousands still wait. There are lives at stake.
In 2022, more than 3,777 Canadians are still waiting for life-saving organ transplants and many more are waiting for tissue transplants. Despite significant progress, there remains an urgent need for more donors in Canada, as our country is still unable to meet the needs of all patients awaiting organ or tissue donation.
The Government of Canada is working together with provinces and territories, Canadian Blood Services (CBS), patients, families, physicians and researchers to improve the organ donation and transplantation (ODT) system. This includes supporting CBS with an annual investment of $3.58 million to improve public and professional participation in organ and tissue donation and transplantation. CBS aims to reach new and underrepresented audiences by developing new resources under the Leave Well 2024 Platform and it is also developing resources for children, youth, students and teachers, while taking advantage of partnerships with programs such as the orgamites.
Health Canada’s investments extend to the Organ Donation and Transplantation (ODT) Collaboration to address key issues and barriers in this field. We support projects such as Pan-Canadian ODT data and performance reporting system, as well as initiatives such as the Living Donor Kidney Transplantation: System Gap Analysis and High-Performance Models project. These efforts aim to improve living donor kidney transplant programs in all provinces and territories to improve patient care and outcomes.
Most recently, on April 12, 2024, the Federal/Provincial/Territorial (FPT) Conference of Deputy Ministers of Health approved the creation of a Pan-Canadian Governance Framework for Organ Donation and Transplantation. This will provide the ODT sector with an organized governance structure comprised of the federal government, provinces and territories, stakeholders and patients who will work together to improve organ and tissue donation services across the country.
We know that organ donation is a deeply personal decision. If you wish to donate your organs, it is important to discuss this decision with your family and loved ones to ensure your wishes are known.
This week, we encourage you to think about making the decision to become an organ and tissue donor and make a difference in the life of someone in need. When you donate an organ, you can save a life. Register as an organ donor today.
The Honorable Mark Holland, PC, MP
The Honorable Ya’ara Saks, PC, MP
Contacts
Christopher Aoun
press secretary
Office of the Honorable Mark Holland
Health Minister
613-291-4176
Daniel Yuval
press secretary
Office of the Honorable Ya’ara Saks
Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Deputy Minister of Health
819-360-6927
Media relations
Health Canada
613-957-2983
[email protected]