Ont. looks to B.C. while considering reimbursing people who donate liver, kidneys

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Ont. looks to B.C. while considering reimbursing people who

donate liver, kidneys

Chinta Puxley,

The Canadian Press Published: Tuesday, April 10, 2007

TORONTO — Ontario could become the next province to

reimburse people who make so-called living donations of livers or kidneys as

the province targets transplant waiting lists, Health Minister erman said Tuesday.

With the

majority of the 1,748 patients on organ waiting lists in need of kidneys or

livers, erman said Ontario

is looking to British Columbia

for ideas after that province decided to reimburse patients who become live

donors. “It’s the living

donations that we have to focus on,” he said. “We

need to look hard at how we can support people to do that. British

Columbia is a model. They’ve

moved ahead and we need to take a good look at that.” Last year, British

Columbia brought in a pilot project that reimburses

live donors up to $5,500 for expenses like accommodation, travel, meals and

lost income incurred during the donation process. That

project was examined by the citizen’s panel on organ donation appointed

by the Ontario Liberals late last year and is expected to be at the heart of

the panel’s report, which erman is

currently mulling over.

“It’s

an expensive proposition but obviously it is the gift of life,” he said. “We’re going to take a good hard look at what

a program would look like.” A

focus on living donors would bolster an already existing program that allows

people to consent to organ donation after they die. Many advocates had hoped the organ donation

report would prompt the province to bring in a system of presumed consent

— where everyone is automatically a donor upon their death unless they

opt out.

But erman said Ontario

wants to focus on increasing the number of live donors rather than convincing

people to donate their organs after death.

Markel, President and CEO of the

Trillium Gift of Life Network, said the number of living donors is going up

slowly but there were still fewer than 300 people who donated either part of a

liver or a kidney last year. Most of

those people donated their organs to loved ones and Markel

said it’s harder to convince others to undergo surgery, especially if

they are worried about their finances.

“It

can be a barrier,” he said. “Even for

those people who are prepared to donate, it’s a considerable

inconvenience and it’s a concern. When someone

steps forward and is considerate enough to be a donor, you really don’t

want them worrying about financial issues at the same time.” Janet Bick, director of government and

professional relations for the Kidney Foundation of Canada, said there is no

“silver bullet” to increase live organ donations.

But she said there is anecdotal evidence that the reimbursement project

in British Columbia

is working and there is no reason not to try it here in Ontario

as well. “It’s something we

would certainly support,” she said. “ly

any initiative that looks at increasing the number of kidneys available is

certainly a positive thing.”

But

Conservative Leader Tory said he doesn’t want to see Ontario

follow the United States

by paying for things like blood donations. It makes

much more sense for Ontario to

simply make it easier for people to bequeath their organs, he said. “People shouldn’t be put at a substantial

financial disadvantage if they can be convinced to be living donors of

organs,” Tory said. “I do think we should

put a priority on getting people to fill out their donor cards and participate

in that program.” New Democrat

Kormos, who introduced a private members’ bill

that would make everyone in Ontario

an automatic donor unless they opt out, said the Liberals are shying away from

the real issue.

If the

province had a system of presumed consent, he said people would be more

comfortable with organ donation and would be more likely to volunteer to be

live donors. “The public needs

leadership,” Kormos said. “Those

people in Ontario

waiting on organ donor lists need bold action by their government to save their

lives.”

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