Released on November 12, 2014
New legislation governing organ and tissue donations will equip Saskatchewan to respond more quickly and greater flexibility to growing demand for transplants.The changes contained in The Human Tissue Gift Act, 2014, will modernize outdated legislation and provide the ability to make and update regulations. This could eventually allow the health system to purchase corneas from outside Saskatchewan, enabling more of the approximately 100 Saskatchewan residents typically waiting for a cornea transplant to receive the life-changing procedure in months rather than years.
“We have the opportunity to remove impediments that delay life-saving or life-enhancing transplants for Saskatchewan,” Health Minister Dustin Duncan said. “We owe it to those who face a decline in their health while they wait for a transplant.”
The need for organ and tissue transplants in Saskatchewan far exceeds the number of donors.
“These changes will help us get much-needed organs and tissue to our patients, and will have a huge impact not only on their own lives but on also the lives of their family members,” Saskatchewan Transplant Program Director Diane Shendruk said. “This is a positive step forward for transplant services in our province.”
The new Act will enable Saskatchewan to stay current with changing practices in Canada and internationally, in order to better serve patients.
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For more information, contact:
Tyler McMurchy
Health
Regina
Phone: 306-787-4083
Email: tmcmurchy@health.gov.sk.ca