New bill on government efficiency - Héma-Québec acknowledges the government's intention to add organ donation to its activities

MONTREAL, Nov. 5, 2025 /CNW/ - Héma-Québec takes note of the government's intention, reflected in a newly introduced bill, to transfer to the organization the responsibility for coordinating organ donation and transplantation. Héma-Québec has already managed a related mandate for over 25 years--the coordination of human tissue donation activities for all Québec hospitals.

"This decision reflects the government's confidence in Héma-Québec, while recognizing the vital contribution of other organizations involved," stated Caroline Banville, Chair of Héma-Québec's Board of Directors. "The transfer of responsibilities related to organ donation, which has until now been under the capable management of the Transplant Québec team, will undoubtedly create greater synergy among the various stakeholders in the gift-of-life chain--all to the benefit of the population."

"We will review the situation with our teams, those at Transplant Québec, and our partners across the network, and will submit a plan to the government that places patients, donors, and their families as our top priority," explained Nathalie Fagnan, President and Chief Executive Officer of Héma-Québec. "We firmly believe that continuity of services to the public is essential and non-negotiable. We intend to approach this transition carefully, in close collaboration with healthcare professionals. Moreover, given the expertise and long-standing experience of Transplant Québec's staff in this critical area of health care, we are confident that the success of this initiative will rely on their smooth and respectful integration into Héma-Québec's team."

It is worth noting that Héma-Québec successfully took on the management of human tissue donation in 2001 and became the sole distributor of human tissues in December 2024. Over the years, it has also assumed responsibility for the Public Cord Blood Bank (2004), the Stem Cell Donor Registry (2013), and the Public Mothers' Milk Bank (2014). Should the bill be adopted, Héma-Québec will fully assume this new responsibility and will continue to work closely with specialists and partners in the health network, as it has always done.

About Héma-Québec

Héma-Québec's mission is to efficiently meet the Québec population's needs for blood and other high-quality biological products of human origin. Héma-Québec has more than 1,900 employees, more than 200,000 donors of blood, plasma, stem cells, mothers' milk and human tissue, as well as thousands of volunteers at blood drive sites. Héma-Québec delivers nearly 800,000 human-derived biological products to Québec hospitals every year to meet patients' needs.

It should be noted that in 2024–2025, Héma-Québec distributed nearly 7,700 human tissues to hospitals across the province. These tissues fall into five categories: ocular tissues (corneas and whole eyes), cardiac valves, arterial tissues, skin tissues, and musculoskeletal tissues (tendons and bones).

SOURCE Héma-Québec