Record number of organ donors in Sask. last year a sign of 'positive changes': transplant surgeon

Saskatchewan saw a record-high number of organ donations last year, according to the province — something one transplant surgeon says points to a shift in how people think about donating their organs after they die.

The province says there were 30 deceased donors for the April 1, 2022 to March 31, 2023 fiscal year — an all-time high for Saskatchewan. There were also 46 successful kidney transplants during that period — the second-highest number for Saskatchewan, the province said in a Wednesday news release.

As well, 276 patients donated ocular tissue, which helps to improve people's sight, the province said. A transplant is sometimes the only treatment for people with an organ damaged through injury or disease.

Saskatoon transplant surgeon Dr. Michael Moser says there has been a culture shift around organ donation in the province. While people are generally not very good at talking about death, that's changing, he said, and people are becoming more comfortable talking about organ donation. 

"We're seeing a lot more good news stories in the media. People are talking about it. We're getting lots and lots of support by the health authorities," he said.

"This has resulted in a lot of positive changes, such as the Saskatchewan online organ and tissue donation registry, which was important."

In 2022, Moser received the Logan Boulet Humanitarian of the Year award — named after the Humboldt Broncos hockey team player who died following the 2018 bus crash that killed 16 people, but whose decision to be an organ donor helped save six lives.

The Saskatchewan transplant team, which facilitates pre- and post-transplant care for organ recipients in the province, won the team award this year.

That team has been helpful in handling transplants and supporting families, Moser said.

He believes what he calls the "Logan Boulet effect" has contributed to the rise in organ donors in Saskatchewan in recent years.

The 21-year-old Broncos defenceman signed his organ card on his birthday –— five weeks before the bus crash — and told his parents that he was registering as an organ donor.

Following his death, nearly 150,000 people registered as donors in the following weeks.

But Moser said there is still a shortage and a lot of work to be done. Thousands of people are on waiting lists for life-saving organs, he said.

"Probably about 25 per cent of those people will not survive long enough to get their transplant," he said. "They're going to die before they get their transplant in time."