After the approval process for medical assistance in dying, it may be possible to also choose organ donation.
If organ donation is something you choose to pursue, BC Transplant will work with you, your care team, family physician, medical assistance in dying provider, and the health authority throughout the process. For organ donation to take place, the medical assistance in dying procedure must take place in hospital.
You may be eligible to donate after MAiD if you:
- Are younger than 80 years old.
- Are not HIV positive.
- Do not have a metastatic cancer.
- Are willing to have your MAiD provision in hospital.
If you are not
eligible for organ donation after MAiD, eye donation may still
be an option for you. Please visit Eye Bank of BC for more information.
First, we will determine if you are able to donate organs for transplantation, based on your medical history and condition. A coordinator from BC Transplant will meet with you to review the formal consent, as well as discuss any specific testing required. Testing will be coordinated to minimize hospital visits and inconvenience to you and your care team.
You may withdraw consent for organ donation at any time. Withdrawing consent for donation will not affect consent for or access to medical assistance in dying.
The organ donation process
Once you are approved for organ donation after medical assistance in dying, BC Transplant will work collaboratively with the critical care team to assist you and your care team with the process of donation.
Organ donation following medical assistance in dying will take place through the pathway of
Donation after Cardiocirculatory Death (DCC). At a prearranged time and date, your medical assistance in dying provider will meet you and your care team at the hospital. Every effort will be made to ensure the setting aligns with your end of life wishes. BC Transplant works with the hospital to accommodate as much as possible your requests for rituals, ceremonies and family celebrations at the time of death.
Every effort will be made to ensure the setting aligns with your wishes.
Following the medical assistance in dying procedure and determination of death, your family will be brought to a comfortable area and you will be immediately moved to the operating room. BC Transplant will have a surgical
team in place to recover the organs to be transplanted.
Following the surgical procedure, your body may be released directly to the funeral home according to your wishes.
Please contact
info@bct.phsa.ca if you have any specific questions about medical assistance in dying and organ donation.
BC Transplant is available to help guide and support your family and caregivers to available grief support services. For more information, you can also visit www.bridgec14.org.
