Happy Organ Donation Day

Organ and tissue transplantation have a long history in Iran. Some researchers believe that Avicenna was the first to suture nerves together.

 However, organ transplantation using modern methods and technologies goes back to 1930s. Registered data from Iran shows an acceptable progressing trend in the quantity and quality of various types of organ and tissue transplantation in Iran over recent decades. For instance, Iran has one of the most successful kidney transplantation programs in the region, along with various attempts of policy-makers in order to provide preventive approaches for end-stage renal diseases, distribute dialysis equipment, and enhance cadaveric organ donation.

Organ transplantation is a new issue in medical science. It is an important achievement and a sign of the progression and ability of medical centers around the world. Governments, populations, the medical community and people involved in culture, art, and media all have a decisive role in the culture of organ donation, which is the only way to guarantee that the healthy organs of a brain-dead person can continue to work and save the lives of people in need of organ transplantation. The brain death phenomenon and its possible application in organ transplantation, while offering new hope for the salvation of a number of patients, has led to many ethical, cultural, and legal issues. Ethical issues in organ transplantation are very complicated due to many social factors such as religion, culture, and traditions of the affected communities. The ethical and legal points of removing organs from the body of a living or cadaveric source, the definition of brain death, the moral and legal conditions of the donor and the recipient, and the financial relationship between them and many others, are all critical issues in organ transplantation. While there may be no available explicit solution to these issues, they should be rigorously considered by the experts. Efforts to systematically eliminate barriers and solve problems in organ transplantation, can not only reduce the costs of maintaining brain-dead patients and encourage patients that need organ transplantation but can also prevent immoral and illegal activities.

Javad eynaki maleki