P.E.I. makes it easier to give organ consent
Donors can indicate choice when renewing health cards
The P.E.I. government is hoping a new registry will make it easier for Islanders to indicate whether they want to donate organs or tissue.
The new registry is electronically linked to P.E.I. health card numbers.
Islanders will note their wish to be a donor each time they renew their provincial health card. It is binding and cannot be changed by a family member.
The red hearts currently found on the drivers licence and government issued voluntary ID will be phased out over the next three years.
During the transition period, Islanders will be able to complete the Intent to Donate form at all Access PEI locations when they renew their drivers license or IDs.
Information from the form is then entered into the electronic registry and will be exclusively tied to an individual's provincial health card number.
More than 30,000 Islanders have already completed the form through a Health PEI survey that went out in the fall.
With files from Angela Walker