The Saskatchewan government has signed contracts with organ and tissue donor physicians and launched an awareness campaign in the hopes of getting more people to become organ and tissue donors.
The province announced Monday it will be allocating $566,000 to the Saskatchewan Health Authority to establish a new leadership model for organ and tissue donation. Three donor physicians will share one half-time position. Work is also underway to hire registered nurses as donor coordinators.
“Saskatchewan has had nothing in the past as far as donor physicians, so I think this is a huge step forward,” Minister of Health Jim Reiter said. “I think you’re going to see this sort of leadership model continue to expand down the road.”
In Canada, the rate of organ and tissue donations from deceased donors was 20.9 per million people in 2016. In 2017, Saskatchewan was well below that number, at 14.6 deceased donors per million people. One organ donor can save up to eight lives.
“In many cases it involves a death, and people don’t want to think about that, but I think it’s important that we all do,” said Reiter.
Dr. Joann Kawchuk is one of the three donor physicians leading the new model. She said the team will begin by looking within the system.
“We can audit and gather some of that information about where we may have missed opportunities,” Dr. Kawchuk said. “We can also do a lot to educate people who are at the front line, my fellow intensivists, or other people within the province, on how we communicate around and give options and provide the chances for families who do wish to donate.”
The awareness campaign launch, which includes video and print media, coincides with the National Organ and Tissue Donation Awareness Week that runs from April 22-28.
