Turkey Falls Behind About Organs Donated from Deceased

"Turkey is far behind in terms of organs donated from deceased people," said the General Surgery Specialist from Yeditepe University Kozyatağı Hospital Organ Transplant Center.

Within the scope of Organ and Tissue Donation Week, a meeting titled "Transplant Life" was held by Yeditepe University Kozyatağı Hospital Organ Transplantation Center in order to draw attention to the issue of organ donation.

Speaking at the meeting, the General Surgery Specialist stated that although the success achieved surgically in Turkey is proud, the main source of success in organ transplantation is live donors, and they are unhappy with the lack of sufficient organ donation.

Stating that Turkey falls behind in terms of organs donated from deceased people, the General Surgery Specialist remarks:

“In recent years, approximately 3,500 kidney transplants have taken place annually, and among this total, only about 500 kidney transplants have been performed from deceased people. Clearly, patients can be treated mainly because one of their families is a living donor. However, the only alternative for our patients who do not have a living donor from family members due to both blood group incompatibility and medical incompatibility is organ donations from deceased people. Although the donation rates due to death have doubled with the studies carried out by the Ministry of Health in the last 10 years, our organ donation rate due to death is one in 10 in Spain. So, it is clear that there is a significant distance to be covered.”

Our expert explained that organ donation is a kind of insurance for everyone, and many western societies are ahead in terms of both legal regulations and supervision and organization.

Stating that as healthcare professionals, all their efforts are to be on the side of life until the end and to bring their patients back to their loved ones, our expert also added the following: "Despite all efforts for today, our patients who lost their lives in intensive care units can give life to patients with their organs donated if their families approve. We strive to support our patients who are struggling to hold on to life in hope at the point where life ends.''

"One in every 6-7 adults has kidney disease"

Yeditepe University Hospitals Nephrology Department Head Prof. Dr. Gülçin Kantarcı stated that it is estimated that approximately 10 percent of adults all over the world have kidney disease, and that there are approximately 7.5 million chronic kidney patients in Turkey, in other words, one in every 6-7 adults has kidney disease.

Stating that more than 2 million people in the world are currently living with dialysis and kidney transplantation treatments and this number is expected to double in the next 10 years with an annual increase rate of 6-8 percent, Dr. Kantarcı: "There are over 74 thousand patients who have undergone dialysis or kidney transplantation in Turkey. Only 19 percent of these patients had kidney transplants, while 81 percent of the large group survived under dialysis.

Kidney transplantation is the most effective treatment method in the treatment of end-stage renal failure and a "replacement therapy" that prolongs patient life, keeps the quality of life at the highest level, reduces labor loss, and has a lower cost in the long term.''

Pointing out that the concept of brain death in society is not sufficiently known in the absence of the desired figures on organ donation, Kantarcı noted the following:

"Brain death is the irreversible loss of brain and brainstem function. Despite all the medical support given in intensive care units, other vital organs lose their functions after a while. In other words, people diagnosed with brain death can't come back to life. Brain death is a medical death, an irreversible process.”