Michelle DaCruz
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (May 08/01) - Donating your organs or tissues is not easy in the North. A new NWT task force on organ and tissue donation is trying to change that.

Currently the territory has a temporary system where potential donors must go to Stanton Regional Hospital to obtain a card.

In the past five years, only five NWT organ donors have contributed to Edmonton's Human Organ Procurement and Exchange program, (HOPE). This agency is solely responsible for collecting donations for the territory.

A member of the task force and nurse co-ordinator of Stanton's dialysis unit, Patti Woods said the task force is in discussions with the Department of Health and Department of Transport to increase access to cards.

"We are looking at more permanent methods, like using driver's licenses and health cards to access potential donors," said Woods.

The task force is also evaluating the effectiveness of systems in other provinces and territories.

"The Yukon has a registry that works as a database of donors. Eventually we may have a registry -- that would be the most effective way to track donors," said Woods.

Pat Brown, organ procurement co-ordinator for HOPE, said one of the major problems that limits organ donations in the NWT is limited access to health care professionals, and equipment that determines brain death. Specialists like neurologists, and intensivists (an intensive care specialist), are trained in this type of diagnosis.

Due to staffing shortages Stanton does not have either type of specialist on staff.

Woods said when a patient is close to death they are likely sent to Edmonton for further treatment before such a diagnosis can be made here.

"We just don't have the equipment and supplies," said Woods.

Andre Corriveau, NWT's chief medical officer of health and chairman of the task force said one of their major challenges will be boosting the number of donors in smaller communities.

Corriveau said that if donors live or are injured in communities outside Yellowknife, there is little chance they will be able to donate their organs because of the time-sensitive nature of the procedure.

Organ donors must be kept on life support until the organs are procured; whereas, tissue donations are not as sensitive.

"You need an I.C.U. (intensive care unit) setting to retrieve organs. After the body is kept alive, the surgical team from Edmonton will come North to collect the organs," said Corriveau.

The task force is arranging to have representatives from the HOPE program reassess Stanton's capabilities.

Health Canada estimates up to 4,000 Canadians are waiting for organs at any given time.

"About half of these people are waiting for kidney transplants," said Brown.

She attributes this to the rise of diabetes in Canada, especially among aboriginal people.

"The potential is definitely available in the NWT, especially because of the fairly young population," said Brown.

According to the Department of Health and Social Services, from 1995 to 2000, 26 Northerners received organ and tissue transplants.

The task force will have an action plan prepared by August.