On March 7 2016, the House of Commons Standing Committee on Health agreed to study the status of Canada’s organ and tissue donation procurement system and examine the findings and the implementation of the recommendations of the Call to Action: A strategic plan to improve organ and tissue donation and transplantation performance for Canadian. As part of this study, the Committee held two meetings, which took place on 7 and 9 May 2018.
During these meetings, the Committee heard from a range of witnesses, including representatives from Canadian Blood Services, provincial organ donation and procurement organizations, researchers and health care providers and health charities. The testimony of these witnesses focused primarily on the role the federal government could play in strengthening Canada’s organ donation and transplantation system.
The Committee heard that the federal government could help strengthen Canada’s organ donation and transplantation system by:
1. Supporting the adoption of best practices in organ donation and transplantation across all jurisdictions;
2. Investing in national public education and awareness campaigns to promote conversations among family members regarding organ donation;
3. Creating more opportunities for Canadians to register their decisions regarding organ donation; and
4. Providing sustained funding for research and data collection to ensure that organ transplantation results in improved health outcomes for Canadians.
Read the full report here: http://www.ourcommons.ca/Content/Committee/421/HESA/Reports/RP10019869/hesarp19/hesarp19-e.pdf