What is Organ Donation?

What is Organ Donation?

It is the free will of a person who allows his/her tissues and organs to be used for the treatment of other patients after the end of his/her medical life.

Who can Donate Organs?

According to the Law No. 2238 ‘Law on Organ and Tissue Procurement, Storage and Transplantation’, anyone over the age of 18 who is mentally stable can donate organs.

How Can We Donate Organs?

In order to become a donor in organ donation, which is voluntary, you should apply to health directorates, organ donation units of state and private hospitals or health centres. After filling out the organ donation form at these points, the donor is given an organ donation card. Information about the donor is entered into the Organ and Tissue Donation Information System of the Ministry of Health. Since the family will make the final decision after the donor's brain death, it is extremely important that the organ donor shares the information that he/she wants to donate his/her tissues and organs with his/her family. At any time, the person can apply to the same institutions and organisations and withdraw from being an organ donor. Only the authorities of the Ministry of Health know whether a person is an organ donor or not. Therefore, it is not possible for third parties to learn whether a person is an organ donor or not.

What is Organ Transplantation?

The operation in which a healthy organ taken from a living or deceased donor is transplanted instead of a diseased organ that is unable to perform its function is called 'transplantation or organ transplantation ’. Among the patients on the waiting list, firstly blood group and tissue group compatibility is checked. Then, patients are selected based on medical urgency and medical compatibility. In patient selection; language, religion, race, gender, age, rich-poor discrimination is not made.

Is Organ Transplantation Religiously Appropriate?

With the decision of the Supreme Board of Religious Affairs of the Ministry of Religious Affairs of the Republic of Turkey dated 06.03.1980 and numbered 396, it has been declared that organ transplantation is permissible. In the Holy Quran, it is declared that ‘Whoever gives life to a human being will gain reward as if he gave life to all human beings.’^{(Surah Maide, Verse 32)}

What is Brain Death?

It is the irreversible loss of brain or brain stem functions. Brain death is medical death, real death and is different from vegetative life. The decision of brain death is made by four different specialised physicians after all evaluations are made. In patients diagnosed with vegetative life, some brain functions are functioning and the patient continues his/her life for years with medical support. In brain death, no matter how much medical support is provided to the patient, it is not possible for the patient to live and death occurs as soon as possible.

Which organs and tissues can be donated?

• Kidney
• Pancreas
• Liver
• Lung
• Heart
• Small Intestine

Which tissues can be transplanted?

• Cornea
• Bone Marrow
• Tendon
• Heart Valve
• Skin
• Bone
• Face and Scalp
• Extremities
• Cartilage

Every year 3-9 November is celebrated as 'Organ Donation Week ’ in our country. As an organ donor, you can give one or more people a chance to hold on to life. You can get more detailed information about organ and tissue donation by contacting the Organ Donation Unit of our hospital or the nearest health institution and become an organ donor.