The proportion of donors who chose MAiD increased by nearly 15 per cent last year, according to Transplant Québec.
Quebec saw a record number of referrals for organ donation in 2022, including a significant increase in donations made in the context of “medical aid in dying” (MAiD) cases, according to latest annual report from Transplant Québec.
The organization announced Wednesday that the proportion of donors who chose MAiD increased by nearly 15 per cent last year. Most of the cases involved patients who had been diagnosed with a neurological or neurodegenerative disease.
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Transplant Québec noted that the number of donations made in the context of MAiD has tripled over the past five years. About 10 per cent of cases of MAiD in Quebec represent potential donors, a proportion based on diagnoses compatible with organ donation, which translates to the equivalent of 366 donors.
“This is not only an opportunity to increase the number of organ donors in Quebec, but also an incredible opportunity to see more people benefit from a transplant,” Transplant Québec director Martine Bouchard said in a statement. “In addition to increasing the number of transplant recipients through the generosity of their gesture, these (donors) also gave meaning to their condition by allowing other lives to be saved.”
In total, Transplant Québec received 854 organ donation referrals in 2022 and 483 people received organ transplants. The organization noted that 78 lung transplants were carried, an “unmatched” number, for the second consecutive year.
More than 170 donors in Quebec allowed 584 transplants to be carried out.
The waiting times for lung or kidney transplants has shortened considerably over the past 10 years, according to the report. As of Dec. 31, 2022, 913 people were on Transplant Québec’s waiting list.
In proportion to their population, Montreal, Saguenay—Lac-St-Jean and the Eastern Townships are the regions with the highest number potential donors, according to Transplant Québec.
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