Ontario's organ transplants reached a record number in 2009, according to the Trillium Gift of Life Network. The health network announced Tuesday that almost 700 lives were saved last year because of 218 organ donations, an increase of 17 per cent from 2008. "Not only did Ontario achieve a record 218 organ donations, but we have decreased the number of deaths of people on the organ transplant wait list by nearly 24 per cent," said Frank Markel, president and CEO of the Trillium Gift of Life Network (TGLN), in a release. TGLN attributes the surge in donations to an increase in donor registrations, the launch of multifaith and youth outreach campaigns and changes to how tissues are donated. The number of tissue donations also rose in 2009 to 1,299 — a 24 per cent increase over 2008. Tissue donations include bone, heart valves, skin and eyes. Ontario is patting itself on the back, given recent reports that Canada's organ donation system lags behind other countries. Recently, there have been calls from health experts for a nationally co-ordinated organ-sharing network. In 2006, the Canadian Medical Association Journal reported that Canada's rate of donation was 12.8 donors per million deceased, compared to 35.1 per million in Spain and 21.5 per million in the U.S. Dr. Gary Levy, medical director of Toronto General Hospital’s Multi Organ Transplant Program, told CBC News that although progress has been made in Ontario, "the reality is, many people die before an organ becomes available." He said the University Health Network and the University of Toronto are seeing more directed anonymous donors (people who donate to a specific person), as well as non-directed anonymous donors (people who do not select a specific recipient of their donation). He is overseeing the creation of a registry of living anonymous donors, a trend that he said is growing, despite ethical issues surrounding the practice. Currently, 1,600 people in Ontario are waiting for a transplant. One tissue donor's donation can help 75 people, according to the health network. Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2010/01/26/organ-donationontario.html#ixzz0esSrLI09