The Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs has filed a human rights complaint over a policy requiring people to abstain from alcohol for six months in order to receive a liver transplant.
That BC Transplant policy was the subject of a similar complaint last year, but the complainant, David Dennis, died before he could see the case through., representing all Indigenous people who have been denied a transplant as a result of the policy.
"The complaint alleges that there is little or no scientific support for the abstinence policy, which puts the health of Indigenous persons at risk, potentially fatally, by delaying access to liver transplants and is an affront to their dignity, respect, and self-worth," it reads. The PHSA, which runs BC Transplant, said it won't comment on the case "out of respect for due process," but that it's committed to ensuring equity in health care.
PHSA also noted that BC Transplant removed the "absolute requirement" for liver recipients to abstain from alcohol for six months last year, in light of new clinical evidence, and said "no patients have been refused or removed from the transplant list for this reason alone."
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