The number of organ and tissue donations in Ontario reached an all-time high in 2018.
Figures released Tuesday by the Trillium Gift of Life Network show there were 2,413 tissue donors last year, an increase of 85 per cent over the last decade. There were also 333 deceased organ donors across the province.
The record-breaking increase in donations is being attributed to a policy that requires hospitals to notify the provincial agency when a patient has died.
The uptick in donors led to a 42 per cent decrease in wait times for heart transplant patients. Instead of waiting an average of 214 days for the life-saving procedure, patients only had to wait 120 days in 2018. There were also an unprecedented 195 lung transplants last year, a 75 per cent increase over the last five years.
"Because someone took two minutes to register as a donor, and because a family made the selfless decision to donate their loved one's organs and tissues, the lives of many Ontarians were forever changed in 2018," Trillium President and CEO Ronnie Gavsie said in a statement. "But despite all the progress, it is not enough. Every three days someone dies waiting for an organ transplant."
As of December 31 of last year, there were 1,630 people on the transplant waitlist, up from 1,527 during the same time in 2017.
According to Trillium, 4.2 million Ontarians have registered their consent to organ and tissue donation, 252,581 of whom signed up for the program last year alone.
To register or learn more about organ and tissue donations, visit www.BeADonor.ca.
