Kidney patient upset with delay

Kidney patient upset with delay

CBC News Posted: Jun 28, 2011 11:32 AM CST Last Updated: Jun 28, 2011 11:32 AM CST
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A Saskatoon man who needs a new kidney says he has been left in limbo by problems with the transplant program.

Mike Winter, who has spent more than three years on dialysis, says some live donors have offered to help him.

However, under the rules, if the prospective donors turn out to have medical problems themselves, they need extensive testing to determine if the transplant can be done safely.

That's where Winter's transplant has been held up.

A Saskatoon surgeon who used to do that testing has left the transplant program.

Winter is waiting to hear who else will provide the service.

"To wait months and months for resolutions on transplants ... it's very problematic," Winter said.

The Saskatoon Health Region says it's working on an arrangement with doctors in Edmonton.

It's the latest problem with Saskatchewan's problem-plagued kidney transplant program.

The Saskatoon-based program was suspended in July, 2009, due to a shortage of specialists. The province announced 14 months later kidney transplants would resume, but only for kidneys from live donors.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/story/2011/06/28/sk-kidney-tranplants-1106.html