New Brunswick Liberals want to see the province move to an opt-out method for organ and tissue donation.
Consent is currently given when people apply or renew their Medicare cards.
Opposition Liberal Health Critic, Jean-Claude D’Amours, introduced an Act to Amend the Human Tissue Gift Act in the legislature this week.
The Act proposes amendments that could see New Brunswick operate its human tissue donation program under deemed consent.
The changes would allow for the establishment of a registry to record consents or refusals under the Act.
New Brunswickers, 19 and older, and not exempt would be considered for organ and tissue donation unless they opt-out.
“Today, there are over 140 New Brunswickers waiting for transplants,” said D’Amours. “The stress they and their families go through waiting to receive word of a positive match is
extraordinary. Anything governments can do to improve tissue and organ donation will be received with great relief and renewed hope,” D’Amours said.
Spain, Wales, Croatia, Chile, France, and Portugal are among the nations that use the presumed consent system.
The World Health Organization said donation rates are 25 to 30 percent higher in countries with deemed consent.
According to the most recent data from Canadian Blood Services, 250 Canadians died while waiting for a transplant in 2019 — an increase from 2018. The figures also showed that Canada still has a shortage of organs, with 4,419 patients still waiting for transplants at the end of 2019.