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

By Galiya Khassenkhanova

Published connected 02/06/2025 - 16:24 GMT+2•Updated 16:29

Organ transplantation, which is often nan only measurement to prevention a life, is straight limited connected donors. But their sometimes unreliable readiness often leads to patients dying earlier receiving a donated organ.

There are 2 types of organ donations: from a surviving philanthropist and cadaveric transplants. While options for a surviving philanthropist are mostly restricted to conscionable nan kidney and liver, successful Kazakhstan it tends to prevention much lives than a posthumous donation.

"Around nan world, 80-90% of donations are posthumous, but nan aforesaid cannot beryllium said astir Kazakhstan and nan countries successful Central Asia. In our country, 80-90% of donors are surviving relatives of nan patients," said Aidar Sitkazinov, Director of nan Republican Centre for Coordination of Transplantation and High-Tech Services successful Kazakhstan.

According to him, nan logic galore group garbage to donate their organs aft decease is simply a deficiency of spot successful nan healthcare system.

The belief that corruption is everyplace makes them fearfulness that donated organs will beryllium misused aliases illegally sold, aliases that doctors will not dainty nan patients to get to their organs.

Sitkazinov notes that trading organs is punishable by rule successful Kazakhstan. At nan aforesaid time, dozens of group and respective organisations are progressive successful nan process for organ transplantation, and hospitals do not use monetarily aliases different if a diligent becomes a philanthropist aft death. 

Still, he understands that scandals surrounding organ transplantation often deter group from signing nan aid form.

Last twelvemonth alone, location were 15 cases wherever group attempted to waste donated organs.

Religion besides plays a role. Many judge Islam aliases Orthodox Christianity - nan 2 main religions successful Central Asia - do not let posthumous donation. Religious authorities successful Kazakhstan each support posthumous aid arsenic a charitable act, but that still has not swayed galore people.

The belief mobility is not unsocial to Kazakhstan aliases Central Asia. Studies person shown that a reluctance to donate organs aft decease is simply a long-standing inclination successful Islamic countries wherever surviving donations prevail.

In contrast, successful Europe organ aid aft decease is an established practice, covering up to 50% of nan request for organs. Unlike successful different parts of nan world, Europe besides uses organs of donors who died owed to bosom failure.

Current business successful Kazakhstan

As of May 2025, 4,226 group successful Kazakhstan are connected nan waiting database for immoderate benignant of organ donation, 128 of whom are children.

Of nan full number of patients, 3,828 are waiting for a kidney, but successful nan worst lawsuit script that a philanthropist is not found, those patients besides person nan action of haemodialysis, which tin support them live for betwixt 10 and 15 years.

"Not everyone who needs an organ transplant is connected this list. This class has nary different alternative, only an organ transplant tin prevention their lives," highlighted nan head of nan transplantation coordination body.

According to him, connected mean 300 group dice because location simply are not capable organ donors.

"I'll springiness you a elemental illustration – successful 2024, we had 86 deceased donors who were diagnosed pinch encephalon death. All relatives were approached and only 10 families gave their consent," said Sitkazinov, noting that 1 deceased personification tin prevention 7 lives.

Kazakhstan has an opt-in consent system, wherever each national has to officially work together to donate their organs aft death. However, moreover if nan personification gives consent, their relatives must besides agree.

This strategy came into spot successful 2020, aft respective lawsuits from nan relatives of deceased persons, who were outraged that organs were extracted without their consent.

In 2024, location were 260 transplantations, of which 237 were from a surviving donor.

"The main problem is refusal of relatives. We besides person a very debased look of will. As of January 2025, pinch an big organization of 11 million, 115,000 group person expressed their will to opt out, and only 8,000 opted in," noted Sitkazinov.

All Central Asian countries stock akin problems erstwhile it comes to posthumous donation; deficiency of spot successful nan strategy and misconceptions astir nan donations themselves.

Until nationalist consciousness increases and systems beryllium to beryllium much transparent and unafraid nan number of organ donations from deceased group is improbable to turn significantly.