The Canadian national and provincial government will unveil a five-year plan this week designed to improve the country's organ donation rate.

The plan includes creation of a National Council on Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation, which will be made up of government officials, transplant experts, epidemiologists, ethicists, and public representatives.

Canada currently has an organ donation rate of approximately 14 donors per million population, compared with 21 donors per million in the United States and 31.5 per million in Spain.

The Council, which will have a secretariat based in Edmonton, will receive $20 million in funding over the five years to develop a national strategy for increasing donation.

The strategy is expected to include designation of staff in "critical-care units" in hospitals who will get special training to identify potential donors, and facilitate the maintenance of clinical support for donors until it is possible to recover their organs and provide bereavement support for relatives.