News Releases and Coverage

B.C. sets record for lung and heart transplants despite COVID-19 pandemic

(Photo credit: The Georgia Straight)
(Photo credit: The Georgia Straight)

B.C. hospitals performed a record number of lung and heart transplants in 2020, despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fifty-five people received a lung transplant last year, and 33 others, including three children, were the recipients of a new heart, according to a February 17 Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA) bulletin

“The success of organ transplant is a transformative feat of expertise, coordination and caring through the province, in every health authority,” Health Minister Adrian Dix said in the release. “A total of 451 people in B.C. received a life-saving transplant in 2020. Today, there are 5,491 British Columbians alive thanks to the incredible generosity of organ donors.”

B.C. has three transplant centres, all in Vancouver. They are located at St. Paul’s Hospital, B.C. Children’s Hospital, and Vancouver General Hospital. B.C. Transplant is a program within the PHSA.

Click here for the full story on The Georgia Straight.