Major increase in organ donors across BC last year
Posted March 30, 2018 10:39 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – There has been a big surge in the number of organ donation registrations across the province and it’s all due to a partnership between ICBC and BC Transplant.
Since ICBC driver licensing workers across the province began asking customers to register their decision on organ donation with BC Transplant last year, more than 125,000 people have signed up.
Leanne Appleton with BC Transplant explains why organ donation is so important. “Have a really important need. We have over 600 people in BC who are waiting for a life-saving transplant.”
She adds a record 479 people received transplants last year. “That’s both from living kidney donors and also deceased donors throughout the province of BC. There’s a need and lives can be transformed through the gift of life.”
Karen Nelson is the manager at the North Vancouver Driver Licensing office and she says it’s such a simple process that can save someone’s life. “Overall, we’ve had about 500,000 conversations with members of the public coming to visit our offices. And with that, we’ve been able to increase and help BC Transplant increase the number of their BC transplant registrants.”
You don’t have to go into a licensing office if you would like to sign up to be a donor, you can also register online with BC Transplant.
ICBC decided to expand the program across the province after a successful pilot project in four locations.
The crown corporation says more than 1.2 million people have now registered their decision in the BC Organ Donor Registry.
