Thanks to a partnership between the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC) and BC Transplant, BC residents visiting a driver licensing office now have the option to sign up for the province’s organ transplant program on-location.
ICBC had earlier launched the program at four licensing offices last year. Through the previous program, about 15,000 names were added to BC’s organ registry, reported CBC News.
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According to Lindsay Olsen of ICBC, the original program was created following statistics that showed that about 50% of BC residents believed that they had registered their organ donation wishes when, in fact, only 21% had actually registered.
With the new province-wide pilot program, it is hoped that even more people would sign up.
“It’s a difficult topic,” BC Transplant provincial operations director Ed Ferre told CBC News. “You have to contemplate your own mortality and the mortality of your loved ones. But you register once and it’s done, and I think it’s a good conversation to have.”
Under the new pilot program, BC Transplant greeters will approach all visitors to driver licensing offices in BC. Visitors can then fill out a form at the office or register online, specifying which organs they wish to donate. The option to decline is also available. Ferre hopes residents register to the program whether they want to donate or otherwise.
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“Organ donation should be part of an end-of-life care, and something every individual in the province should consider almost as a social duty,” he said.
Ferre reasoned that BC Transplant chose to partner with the provincial insurer because drivers eventually need to have their licenses renewed, which should draw in more potential organ donors.
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