Quebec reports steep rise in organ donations after medical aid in dying legalized
Quebec is reporting a tripling of the number of organ donors in the last five years, including a major jump last year in donations through medical aid in dying.
Transplant Québec says it received 854 organ donation referrals in 2022, which it said was a "record number."
The organization says that about 15 per cent of all donors in the past year had received MAID, adding that the vast majority of them — about 85 per cent — had been diagnosed with neurodegenerative or neurological disease.
Quebec's end-of-life care bill came into effect in December 2015, and the first two organ donations through MAID occurred in 2017, Transplant Québec says.
The organization says the data is in line with an underlying trend in the handful of countries that allow organ donations through MAID — Canada, Belgium, the Netherlands and Spain.
Martin Bouchard, the head of Transplant Québec, says the increasing recourse to MAID in Quebec represents an opportunity to increase the number of organ donors in the province, allowing more people to benefit from a transplant.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 8, 2023.
—
This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Meta and Canadian Press News Fellowship.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'My family doctor just fired me': Ontario patients frustrated with de-rostering
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
Canada Post cracks down on Nunavut loophole to get free Amazon Prime shipping
Amazon's paid subscription service provides free delivery for online shopping across Canada except for remote locations, the company said in an email. While customers in Iqaluit qualify for the offer, all other communities in Nunavut are excluded.
Montreal man facing charges following contraband drone drop at Millhaven: OPP
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says a 40-year-old man from Montreal is facing charges following a suspected drone drop of unauthorized items at the Millhaven Institution.
Potentially toxic chemicals hide in our drinking water and countless household objects, and they're not going anywhere
For decades, North Bay, Ontario's water supply has harboured chemicals associated with liver and developmental issues, cancer and complications with pregnancy. It's far from the only city with that problem.
Nigeria's fashion and dancing styles in the spotlight as Harry, Meghan visit its largest city
Nigeria's fashion and traditional dances were at full display on Sunday as Prince Harry and Meghan arrived in its largest city, Lagos, as part of their three-day visit to the country to promote mental health for soldiers and empower young people.
WATCH Dashcam video shows terrifying near-miss on two-lane northern Ontario highway
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.
Police investigating after tow trucks shot at in Scarborough two hours apart
Toronto police are investigating after tow trucks were shot at in Scarborough about two hours apart Saturday night.
Cyclist issued fine for striking four-year-old girl crossing the street
A cyclist turned herself in and received a fine after striking a four-year-old girl who was crossing the street to catch a school bus.
U.K. foreign secretary says halting arms sales to Israel would only strengthen Hamas
Asked whether the U.K. would follow the U.S. in threatening to cut the supply of offensive weapons to Israel if it carried out an attack on the southern Gaza city of Rafah, Foreign Secretary David Cameron said the two countries cannot be compared because unlike the U.S., Britain supplies a very small amount of Israel's weapons.