Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak about something that I've already spoken about on a number of occasions and I believe it is quite appropriate to discuss again today. Although we may be in recess at the time, the week of April 16th to 22nd is designated as National Organ Donors Awareness Week. I've been trying to promote an understanding and an awareness of organ donors for some time now, to let people know the good that they can do, even after their deaths if they choose to donate their organs to the living.
It is possible for every organ donor to help improve the lives of as many as 13 others; in many cases, making the difference between life and death; and, in most cases, a much better quality of life. For instance, allowing a blind person to see or freeing someone from a kidney machine to resume normal life. Mr. Speaker, let me be clear, I'm not asking for an expensive program that places unreasonable expectations on our local medical facilities. I'm referring primarily to people who travel on holidays, for business, educational purposes and other reasons to the south. In the event that these people die while in the south, large hospitals have suitable facilities to harvest organs and tissue and can forward them to a transplant centre.
I'm talking about implementing a simple cost-effective, little program such as a donor card placed on the back of our existing drivers' licences. I'll tell you why I think this little program is worthwhile, Mr. Speaker. Donated eyes can restore vision by replacing corneas. This operation has a 90 to 95 per cent success rate. For someone with a failing heart, a donated heart is quite simply the gift of new life and is very successful in most cases today. Donated lungs are given to those suffering from fatal conditions like cystic fibrosis. For those suffering from liver failure, the only treatment is a liver transplant.
Because a person can live a normal life with only one kidney, each donor can help provide for two lives. Donated skin can be used to temporarily cover severe burns and speed the healing process.
Mr. Speaker, I seek consent to continue.