Skip to content

Call for donor registrations issued

With approximately 500 British Columbians on the transplant waiting list, Service BC and BC Transplant are encouraged by the number of British Columbians signing up to become an organ donor to save the life of a neighbour, co-worker, friend or family

With approximately 500 British Columbians on the transplant waiting list, Service BC and BC Transplant are encouraged by the number of British Columbians signing up to become an organ donor to save the life of a neighbour, co-worker, friend or family member in need, however, additional registrations are needed.

More than 95 per cent of British Columbians support organ donation but as of April 2015, only 20 per cent have registered their decision to be a donor, according to a press release from the Ministry of Technology, Innovation and Citizens' Services.

There were 16,607 new registrations from April-July of 2015, up 15 per cent from the 13,900 registrations during the same four-month period over the last five years.

A decal on a driver's licence is no longer enough and hasn't been since 1997. A potential donor must register.

To help make this happen, 61 Service BC centres throughout the province now provide a central location where British Columbians can access information and get answers about organ donation, as well as confirm their intention by registering, using a paper form or online at terminals in the office.

Minister of Technology, Innovation and Citizens' Services' Amrik Virk said in the release that registering as a donor is a simple, small step anyone can do to save the life of a person or family in need. Many people who come into their offices have a decal on their driver's licence and think they're registered, however, people need to be registered with BC Transplant to offer this life-giving gift and staff can help them do that.

Minister of Health Terry Lake added the decision to register as an organ donor can mean a second chance at life for someone in need. As the numbers demonstrate, the partnership with BC Transplant and Service BC centres is helping to make a difference by providing information on organ donation and making the registration process even more convenient.

People often don't register because they think they couldn't be a donor due to reasons of health or age, said Dr. David Landsberg, physician lead, BC Transplant in the statement. The assessment process is very thorough for organ donation. So they encourage everyone to register and let the process determine if donation is possible. One donor can save up to eight lives.

For more information, visit transplant.bc.ca, servicebc.gov.bc.ca or healthlinkbc.ca.