The Most Important Barriers to Organ Donation, Unfounded Information, Prejudices, and False Beliefs

According to official data, nearly 30 thousand people are waiting for organ transplants in Turkey. On the other hand, while 1 person every 3 hours and 8 people a day died waiting for a transplant, a total of 3703 organ transplants took place in the first six months of 2021. Nephrology Specialist Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ali Balkan said, "Although we are in a very good situation in living organ donation, we are not at the desired level in cadaveric donations."

Despite the publicity and awareness efforts on organ transplantation in recent years, the number of donations is still very low compared to the number of people waiting for organs. Stating that due to the insufficient number of organ donations from deceased people in our country, an attempt is being made to close the gap with transplants from a live donor, Yeditepe University Koşuyolu Hospital Nephrologist Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ali Balkan continued his words as follows:: “To make a comparison between us and the countries where organ transplantation is developed, there is an average difference of 10-15 times. Despite being a Catholic community, donation rates in Spain are between 35-40 per 1 million people. Again, rates in other European countries and America are above 25 per 1 million. In our country, nearly 30 thousand patients are waiting for organ transplantation, and 4000-5000 new patients are added to this figure every year. However, 4000 to 5000 people can be transplanted every year. The most important obstacle to organ donation is unfounded information, prejudices, and false religious beliefs about organ donation.”

The Duty Falls on the Clergy

According to the 2017 report prepared jointly by the European Medicines Quality and Health Services Directorate (EDQM) and the Global Observatory for Organ Donation and Transplantation (GODT), a total of 128,234 organ transplants took place all over the world. Stating that cadaveric organ transplantation rates in the world account for 80 percent of total organ transplants, but on the contrary in our country, organ transplantation from a live donor is above 80 percent, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ali Balkan said, “The most important reason for the low number of cadaveric organ transplants in our country is the lack of information. A family who is considering donating the organs of a deceased relative is worried that the physical integrity of the person will be completely destroyed. People ask 'do I sin if I donate organs?' has a thought. There are also some reservations due to a lack of religious knowledge or prejudices. Sometimes 'Would you like to donate organs?' We see that the families we asked, want to consult a religious man at first. In order to increase organ donation in our country, the Directorate of Religious Affairs should insist on this issue. With the positive support of religious officials and muftis in the provinces and districts, the rate of increase will increase even more.”

The average number of donors with brain death who are suitable for transplantation in the intensive care is 1,250 per year. Stating that only 40 percent of these people donated their organs, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ali Balkan added that the ratio of deceased organ donors to our population is 7 out of 1 million people.

The Belgian Model Could Be The Solution

Emphasizing that there are four methods for organ donation in the world, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ali Balkan also stated that these methods come into play when the donor is not ready to donate organs voluntarily. Speaking, “These regulations differ in each country. In our country, anyone who has reached the age of 18 and has a sound mind can donate organs voluntarily. However, the world is rapidly turning to the 'Belgian Model in Organ Donation System' which has the understanding of ' if every individual over the age of 18 does not object to being an organ donor when they are healthy is accepted as an organ donor'" Yeditepe University Koşuyolu Hospital Nephrology Specialist Assoc. Prof. Dr. Balkan emphasized that in order to increase the number of deceased donations in our country, it would be a solution to change the donation methods and switch to the Belgian model.

Donate Your Organs While You Live!

Stating that when a person donates all his organs, he can give life to eight people, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Balkan pointed out that about 30 thousand people 2 thousand of whom are children, are waiting for a transplant and said, “All citizens should make sacrifices and grab the bull by the horns. Please donate your organ while you are alive," he said.

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