'Unbelievably heartbreaking': Sask. nurse left waiting for transplant as province suspends organ donation program
CTV
Krystal Graham has been on the liver transplant waitlist for about a year. Now, she says she is concerned COVID-19 will delay her life-saving surgery even longer.
Saskatchewan has suspended its organ donation program indefinitely as part of the health authority’s COVID-19 surge plan. For the time being, the province will only provide immediate tissue donations, particularly for ocular patients.
“Unfortunately, that has been one of the side effects of the surge capacity management that we’ve had to do to support ICU care in the province,” said Lori Garchinski, tertiary care director for the Saskatchewan Health Authority.
Garchinski said organ donation coordinators are being moved to help intensive care patients in Regina and Saskatoon.
As a result of the program suspension, Garchinski said if an organ donor dies, those organs would not go to anyone.
