Quebec organ donors increase threefold after 'steep rise' in donations from MAID patients

The number of organ donors in Quebec has increase threefold in the past five years, according to Transplant Quebec, which also reported a “steep” rise in donations coming from patients opting for medical assistance in dying (MAID).

Canada’s MAID process allows patients with certain irremediable conditions to end their own life with the help of a physician or nurse. Since the law was passed in 2016, over 30,000 people have sought the process as of 2022, when the last federal report was published.

In 2021, about 10,000 people sought MAID, representing about 3 per cent of deaths in Canada. In its most recent report, the government expects the number of people seeking MAID to increase steadily each year.

Last year, about 15 per cent of organ donations came from MAID patients – according to Transplant Quebec – the vast majority of whom suffered from neurological or neurodegenerative diseases.

Transplant Quebec says the increase in donors represents “an incredible opportunity to allow more people to benefit from a transplant,” wrote the agency’s executive director, Martine Bouchard, in a news release.

“In addition to increasing the number of transplant recipients through their generous gesture,” he continued, “these people also lend meaning to their condition by saving other people’s lives.”

In 2022, 171 deceased donors contributed to some 584 transplants, and 15 per cent of all organ donors also opted for MAID.