Medical ethics and organ transplantation

Organ transplantation is a new science and a little over 60 years have passed since its entry into the field of medicine.

Organ donation is one of the topics that has attracted the attention of transplant doctors and medical ethicists worldwide. Organ donation should be based on human dignity, so citizenship rights should be respected, in particular, there should be no conditions for organ donation to oppress organ donors. Do not take, because organ trade is condemned in terms of medical ethics.

Unfortunately, in some parts of the world, there are networks where the rich exploit the poor to exploit their members. Sometimes rich and affluent people travel to these countries for transplantation, a phenomenon known as transplant tourism. The World Health Organization and transplant associations around the world have called on governments to deal with the phenomenon and punish violators.

Organ donation should be completely voluntary and any pressure or coercion on the donor should be avoided.

The issue of distribution and allocation of donated organs to needy patients is another debatable issue in terms of medical ethics. Some argue that transplant members should be assigned to patients in a way that leads to a longer patient life expectancy, for example, according to this view, children are given priority over adults.

Some argue that patients should be given priority based on the severity of their illness and the risk of death that threatens them, for example, the worse the patient is and the more likely he or she is to die without a transplant.

The World Health Organization has made recommendations on adhering to the principles of medical ethics in relation to member countries. 193 countries are members of this treaty of the World Health Organization. According to this agreement:

1. Individuals, especially vulnerable groups, should be protected against link tourism, trafficking and organ trafficking so that they are not abused.

2- Any tourism, linkage, smuggling and trade of members is prohibited and violators must be dealt with.

This person should be given a higher priority than a person with a less severe illness. This model is especially useful in patients who need a liver, heart and lung scan.

A group of organ transplant elites met in Istanbul, Turkey in 2008 to formulate general rules for organ trade and transplant tourism. These rules are known today as the “Istanbul Declaration”. More than 100 countries have accepted these principles.

According to the statement, it is based on respect for human dignity, and any organ trade, organ trafficking and link tourism in countries should be banned. Governments, in cooperation with international bodies such as the World Health Organization, should have a program in place to diagnose and treat organ failure. According to the statement, countries must have written rules for organ donation from a living person and a corpse and organ transplant.

Education of community members and occupational therapy should be followed carefully. Organ donation should be made available to people in need with justice and transparency. Financial and economic issues should not be a criterion for connection.

Dr. Reza Saidi Firoozabadi – Transplant surgeon