'I feel betrayed by my government': Resident, NDP call on Sask. to resume organ donor program

The Official Opposition is calling on the Saskatchewan Party government to act immediately to resume organ transplants in the province. 

Saskatoon resident Jessica Bailey joined the NDP at the legislative assembly Monday. Bailey has stage five kidney disease, and her doctors say that without a transplant, she has less than a year to live. The organ donor program was suspended in September due to the strain on hospitals from COVID-19.

NDP leader Ryan Meili says the government has ignored the stories of vulnerable people like 36-year-old Bailey. 

"These are the very real consequences of playing politics during a pandemic," said Meili in a statement.

"When this government talks about fairness, who are they talking about? They certainly aren't talking about the thousands of Saskatchewan patients currently suffering without care due to Premier Moe and Minister Merriman's decisions to ignore the science and medical recommendations."

Back to square one

Bailey was diagnosed with kidney disease in 2018.

She was waiting for a call about her surgery date on Sept. 23, when the province announced it was suspending its organ donation program. Bailey says she isn't the only vulnerable person suffering because of this decision. 

"It takes away the only thing that we ever had. And that was hope," Bailey said at a press conference prior to joining the legislative assembly on Monday.

"That weighs heavily on your mental health as a person, for your family, your friends, everybody around you. I mean, we have nothing else. We're dying individuals. And you took away the one light at the end of the tunnel."

The last time CBC spoke with Bailey, she had a live kidney donor. But since then her donor has been disqualified due to a kidney stones. Now Bailey has to start again from scratch.

She says that if the donor program hadn't been suspended, she would likely have a new kidney now. 

Bailey says the road to getting her previous donor approved was a long one filled with delays and mishaps. And for her, a kidney transplant is a life-saving surgery. Time is not something she has. 

"I've lived in Saskatchewan for 36 years of my life, and this is probably the first time that I'm not proud to be from Saskatoon, due to this crisis."

Bailey says she has 15 friends and family members who want to get tested to see if they're a match for an organ donation. But because the donor program is still suspended, that process cannot begin yet. 

"Now I'm down to about one per cent in kidney function. So I need a kidney to save my life," said Bailey. 

"For palliative patients, every month that goes by is about 10 per cent of their life span. So having to wait on a government that's not doing anything about the health care crisis right now is very frustrating to me. It's not fair at all."

Bailey says there has been a big lack of communication between the province and those like her who are in need of life-saving surgeries. She says she has tried to start the donor-finding process many times, but has been ignored. 

"I don't know why they wouldn't be able to start even the matching process. Because now that I'm back to square one and I don't have a donor, I need to find one, and they're not even giving me that option."

Bailey says she wants to know what the province's plan is and when the donor program suspension will be lifted.

"I want answers instead of just being told to wait, just to wait. I don't have time to wait. So I want action, a plan of action."

For now, Bailey says her quality of life is very poor. She uses a wheelchair due to aching joints and muscles, has to spend over 10 hours a day on painful dialysis and is bedridden. 

"I feel betrayed by my government. Why are they not making the same efforts for me as they are for these COVID, unvaccinated no less, COVID patients? I feel completely betrayed," said Bailey. 

"They were told by professionals this was going to happen and did nothing about it. And now the pressure on our health care system is out of control."

Moe and Merriman respond

Bailey's story was shared during Monday's legislative assembly in Regina.

"Will the premier commit today to do everything he can to get that program running again immediately to get Jessica the urgent, life-saving care he needs?" asked Meili during question period in the chambers. 

Moe responded saying the province is working on getting the program back up and running soon. 

"This is the highest priority of the government, to get our surgical capacity back up. Not only to a place where we aren't falling behind on the wait-list that we have, but are ensuring that we have a plan in place to clear that wait-list," said Moe. 

Health Minister Paul Merriman committed to meeting with Bailey when she is able in order to discuss her transplant case. 

Later when speaking with the press, Merriman mentioned the province's recent announcement that 50 per cent of redeployed SHA workers will be back in their service areas this week. 

Ninety per cent are expected to be back to regular service by the end of the month. Merriman says getting workers back to the donor program is a priority. 

"The majority will be back by the end of the month. We're just getting the program details of what exactly those 50 per cent resources are that are going back, but obviously it's a priority," Merriman said.