P.E.I. looks to create organ donation registry

P.E.I.'s new manager of tissue and organ transplantation hopes to establish an intent to donate registry.

Angela Carpenter was hired into the new job earlier this year. Health PEI is funding the position for one year to see if it increases organ donation and the number of people willing to be organ donors.

Currently Islanders can indicate they want to be organ donors on their health card or driver's licence, but that information isn't always available when it is needed.

"When people die in the hospital a lot of times they don’t have their driver's licence or their health card on them, and that's really the only way right now that we know," said Carpenter.

A registry would make that information more available, she said.

"So when you tick that little box off it will be entered into a database and health-care professionals will have access to that," she said.

Carpenter also hopes to set up formal agreements with New Brunswick and Nova Scotia to ensure more transplants. She hopes the efforts will also convince more Islanders to donate organs and tissue.

Health PEI has considered in the past setting up an opt out system for organ transplants, which would require Islanders to say they do not want to donate.