Organ and Tissue Transplants

• Organ Transplant
• Organ Donor Registry and the Human Tissue Gift Act
• Corneal Transplantation
• Bone Marrow Transplant Services

Wait times for organ and tissue transplants depend entirely on organ donation and the availability of organs for transplant. Solid organ transplant services are coordinated through the British Columbia Transplant Society.

The B.C. Transplant Society develops standards for these services in B.C. The society contracts with Vancouver Hospital, St. Paul's Hospital and Children's and Women's Health Centre of B.C. for the transplant surgery. The majority of transplants are for end-stage kidney diseases - for those patients on kidney dialysis.

Wait lists for solid organ transplants are calculated by number of patients, not by median wait time. Wait lists for tissue transplants are calculated by median wait time. Median Wait Time: Of all the people who have had their surgery in the past three months, half will have waited less than the median wait time.

Organ Transplant

Organ Donor Registry and the Human Tissue Gift Act

The B.C. Transplant Society is a model for transplant services in Canada, including recent development of Canada's first Organ Donor Registry. The government recently amended the Human Tissue Gift Act, in an effort to improve organ donation rates. Similar legislation in the United States has improved organ transplantation rates by about 30 to 50 per cent within three years. For more information call: 1-800-663-6189

Corneal Transplantation

The Eye Bank of British Columbia coordinates corneal transplant services in B.C.

Bone Marrow Transplant Services

• the Vancouver Hospital;
• the B.C. Cancer Agency;
• and Children's and Women's Health Centre of B.C.