With close to 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% of British Columbians support organ donation but as of April 2015, only 20% have registered their decision to be a donor.

There were 16,607 new registrations from April-July of 2015, up 15% 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, a total of 61 Service BC centres located 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.

The process is simple, confidential and registering may well be one of the most generous acts any one person can do.

(flickr.com)

Quotes:

Minister of Technology, Innovation and Citizens’ Services Amrik Virk –

“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 our offices have a decal on their driver’s license and think they’re registered, however, people need to be registered with BC Transplant to offer this life-giving gift and our staff can help you do that.”

Minister of Health Terry Lake –

“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 for British Columbians.”

MLA for Shuswap Greg Kyllo –

“I’m proud to have played a role helping this program become a reality. I’ve seen a close family friend go through the process of waiting for a heart transplant, and I know the easier it is to register as an organ donor the more opportunity it creates to save lives.”

Dr. David Landsberg, physician lead, BC Transplant –

“People often don’t register because they think they couldn’t be a donor due to reasons of health or age. The assessment process is very thorough for organ donation. So we encourage everyone to register and let the process determine if donation is possible. One donor can save up to eight lives.”

Tony Maidment – Waiting for a liver transplant due to PSC (Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis) –

“I felt very humbled to be able to share my story with the staff at the Service BC office to help them understand the impact of the work they are doing. Organ donation saves lives, and my family and I are very thankful to Service BC and their dedicated staff for making it easy for people to register their support.”

Quick Facts:

• Close to 500 British Columbians are currently waiting for a life-saving transplant.
• Nearly 400 of the people on the list are waiting for a kidney.
• A decal on your driver’s licence is no longer enough, a potential donor can check their status or register using a BC Services Card or CareCard at: transplant.bc.ca
• You can register no matter how old you are. Canada’s oldest organ donor on record was 93.
• Service BC delivers hundreds of services for government programs to residents, businesses and visitors – in person, online and over the phone. There are 61 Service BC centres located in British Columbia, serving more than 1.34 million people every year.
• BC Transplant, an agency of the Provincial Health Services Authority, provides provincial oversight for all organ donation and transplantation activities in B.C.

Learn More:

BC Transplant: www.transplant.bc.ca

Service BC: www.servicebc.gov.bc.ca

HealthLinkBC – Organ Transplant: www.healthlinkbc.ca/healthtopics/content.asp?hwid=ty7522