Why does Vietnam have the lowest rate of organ donation from brain-dead donors in the world?
In our country, 94% of donated organs come from living donors, only 6% of donated organs come from brain-dead people. Why is the rate of organ donation from brain-dead donors so low?
According to Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Thi Kim Tien, President of the Vietnam Organ and Tissue Donation Association, former Minister of Health, in recent years we have mastered the technology of multiple organ transplants, saving many lives, but the source of donated organs after brain death in the community and in hospitals is still very low.
From 1992 to now, the whole country has had more than 8,300 cases of organ transplants. Of which, 94% of donated organs in our country come from living donors, only 6% of donated organs come from brain-dead people. In contrast, in developed countries, 40-90% of donated organs come from dead people.
Every year, Vietnam has about 10 brain-dead people donating organs, a rate of 0.1 per 1 million people, the lowest in the world. South Korea has about 11 brain-dead people donating organs - this is also the country with the highest number of brain-dead people donating organs in Asia. In Spain, it is 50 (the highest in the world), in the US it is 49.
Religion, belief, ineffective communication, and many hospitals not really paying attention to the issue of organ donation are the reasons leading to the above paradox.
“Many families of brain-dead patients do not fully understand the meaning of organ donation and always want their loved ones to remain ‘intact’ when they die. This is related to the spirituality and awareness of every Vietnamese person,” said Ms. Tien.
In addition, shortcomings in current legal regulations such as conditions for organ donation after death; age of organ donation, regime for organ donors and their families; financial mechanisms for costs and payments for donation, transplantation and post-transplantation are also factors that cause the source of donated organs from brain-dead people to be low.
According to Associate Professor, Dr. Dong Van He, Director of the National Organ Transplant Coordination Center, there are currently 27 hospitals nationwide licensed to retrieve and transplant organs, but only 6 units perform brain death diagnosis for organ and tissue donation. This is one of the reasons why the rate of brain death organ and tissue donation in Vietnam is low and has not increased in the past 10 years.
According to regulations, when taking organs from a donor, the consent of family members is required. If just one person does not agree, the organ donation cannot be performed.
The center has encountered many cases where even though the donor’s parents agreed to donate their organs, when preparing to do so, another family member disagreed, and the hospital was unable to retrieve the donated organs. This is also one of the reasons why the source of donated organs from brain-dead donors in Vietnam is still limited.
In order for people who register to donate their organs and tissues after death, experts believe that it is necessary to raise public awareness about organ and tissue donation. The advocacy team must be professionals with good psychological training to advise and advocate so that the families of brain-dead patients understand the meaning of organ and tissue donation.
“Hospitals need to organize training for medical staff - those who will be the bridge between patients' families and organ and tissue transplant facilities,” Mr. He said.
Organ donation activities are very important in the development of the organ transplant profession, but there is currently no mechanism or policy to support this activity. Experts suggest that there should be specific incentive policies for organ and tissue donation advisory groups. Vietnam also needs a clear financial mechanism to show gratitude to the families of brain-dead organ donors, as well as incense and flowers for the donors.
Organ and tissue transplantation is the last resort in treating patients with chronic and serious diseases caused by irreversible organ and tissue dysfunction such as chronic kidney failure, liver failure, heart failure, bone marrow failure, and corneal damage. Successful organ transplantation from brain-dead donors opens up opportunities for many patients and promotes the development of organ transplantation in the medical industry.
Medical experts also emphasized the message that instead of burying life in the ground or burning it, people should join hands to change their awareness, using their own tissues and organs and those of their loved ones after death or brain death to save people. Each donated body part is to revive another life. It is also meaningful for the family of the donor when they can hear the heartbeat, breathing or eyes of their loved ones.