Why organ donation after death is struggling to take root across Central Asia

Clark · June 08, 2025, 02:46:40 PM

https://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/lifestyle-buzz/why-organ-donation-after-death-is-struggling-to-take-root-across-central-asia/ar-AA1FWczs

Why organ donation after death is struggling to take root across Central Asia

Story by Galiya Khassenkhanova

Organ transplantation, which is often the only way to save a life, is directly dependent on donors. But their sometimes unreliable availability often leads to patients dying before receiving a donated organ.
There are two types of organ donations: from a living donor and cadaveric transplants. While options for a living donor are generally restricted to just the kidney and liver, in Kazakhstan it tends to save more lives than a posthumous donation.
"Around the world, 80-90% of donations are posthumous, but the same cannot be said about Kazakhstan and the countries in Central Asia. In our country, 80-90% of donors are living relatives of the patients," said Aidar Sitkazinov, Director of the Republican Centre for Coordination of Transplantation and High-Tech Services in Kazakhstan.
According to him, the reason many people refuse to donate their organs after death is a lack of trust in the healthcare system.
The belief that corruption is everywhere makes them fear that donated organs will be misused or illegally sold, or that doctors will not treat the patients to get to their organs.

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Why organ donation after death is struggling to take root across Central Asia

Clark