Seoul residents are signing up to be organ donors at the 2023 Blood Donor’s Day event held on Jun. 14 (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Nov. 27 (Korea Bizwire) – The number of individuals awaiting domestic organ transplants, including solid organs, hematopoietic stem cells, and eyes, has consistently risen and surpassed the 50,000 milestone. However, organ donations from individuals with non-recoverable brain function have remained at around 400 per year over the past five years.
Despite the noble impact of organ donation in saving lives, there is a pressing need to improve awareness and broaden participation. The primary factor contributing to the low rate of brain death donation in Korea is attributed to a lack of awareness and cultural differences leading to reluctance.
Some propose a presumption of tentative consent for individuals who do not express their intention to donate during their lifetime, mirroring practices in certain countries. Yet, officials contend that enforcement would be challenging without resolving the prevailing reluctance to donate.
As of September, the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s National Institute of Organ, Tissue, and Blood Management reported 50,707 individuals awaiting organ transplants in Korea, marking an increase of about 1,000 from the end of last year.
Since 2019, the number of people waiting for organ transplants has steadily risen—from 40,253 in 2019 to 49,765 last year. In contrast, the number of donors has plateaued, with 4,521 in 2019, 4,490 in 2020, 4,601 in 2021, and 4,248 in 2022.
Organ donations from deceased individuals, excluding living donations primarily involving relatives, have lingered in the 400s annually for the past five years, indicating an insufficiency compared to the growing demand.
This year, the Korea Organ and Tissue Donation Institute reported 438 organ donations from individuals with non-recoverable brain function as of September 26. The yearly count has not surpassed 500 in the past five years, including 405 last year, 442 in 2021, 478 in 2020, 450 in 2019, and 449 in 2018.
Korea’s donation rate following brain death per million people stands at 7.88, significantly lower than Spain (46.03), the United States (44.50), and the United Kingdom (21.08). Despite a decline from 9.22 in 2020 to 7.88 last year, other countries have seen an increase in donation rates amid the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tragically, the number of deaths while awaiting organ transplants has risen, surpassing 2,000 in 2019, 2,193 in 2020, 2,482 in 2021, and reaching 2,918 last year.
Dr. Kim Myung-soo, director of the Center for Organ Transplantation at Severance Hospital, emphasizes the need for a cultural shift in perceiving organ donation following brain death in Korea. Until perceptions change and a comprehensive understanding of brain death and organ donation is fostered through education, any introduced system is unlikely to prompt a swift increase in donation rates.
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
