WHO against human trafficking
Human organs are not spare parts,
which can be traded
Organ transplantation is often the only way to save a person's life. The most popular organ is the kidney – about 70 thousand operations are performed on the planet every year to replace it. In recent years, the demand for the cornea, heart, liver, lungs, pancreas and small intestine has also been growing. But it is not possible to satisfy the needs of all those in need of healthy organs, the shortage leads to the emergence of the phenomenon of "transplant tourism".
The UN Special Rapporteur on Human Trafficking Joy Ngozi Ezeilo warned the General Assembly about this on Friday.
And the World Health Organization is sounding the alarm about the safety of human material transplant operations.
Natalia Terekhova will continue the topic.
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The demand for healthy organs exceeds their supply in almost all countries of the world. Today, transplantation is recognized as the only way out of the situation with some severe heart and liver diseases. Kidney transplantation is considered the best solution for end-stage renal failure. Without it, the patient will either die or be forced to resort to dialysis – an expensive and often inaccessible procedure for a huge number of people in need. The problem of shortage of organs, tissues and cells for transplantation is equally acute both in third world countries and in industrialized countries, says the director of the German Federal Agency for Organ Procurement, Dr. Gunther Kirste:
"As for my country, Germany is still far from meeting the demand of all those in need of organ transplantation. It takes about six years to wait for a healthy kidney. But there are countries in the world where the queue moves very quickly, only 2-3 months. On the other hand, in many States the use of organs of the deceased is prohibited. And the provision of organs by living donors is associated with a risk to their health."
The shortage of human material, especially internal organs, has led to the flourishing of the global "black market". Those who can afford to buy the necessary organ often go to countries where people barely make ends meet and are ready to do anything to somehow stay afloat. According to the UN, thanks to such "transplant tourism", 10% of all organ transplants are performed in the world. The World Health Organization has been monitoring the situation in this area for a long time. Global guidelines for the donation and transplantation of cells, tissues and organs have been developed and are constantly being updated.
WHO experts categorically object to commercial trade in human body parts and insist on the principle of voluntary unpaid donation. According to the coordinator of the WHO transplant program, Dr. Luke Noel, the issue of donation is of a moral nature, all family members should take part in its discussion, and the decision taken is a kind of civil will:
"It is advisable to think about such a decision before life circumstances put you in front of the need to deal with such sensitive issues at the same time as mourning for deceased loved ones. The posthumous donation of organs is a civil act. The skills of civil gestures should be instilled from school. This question lies in the plane of awareness of the social significance of their actions."
Well, what could be more socially significant than saving another person's life? 17 years ago, American Carol Miller had a kidney transplant operation, without which she would have died:
"I had to wait a year and a half. And, perhaps, I would have waited longer if I hadn't joined the transplant queue as soon as I learned about the need for a kidney transplant. I immediately applied, and then underwent a full medical examination to be fully ready for surgery."
Carol fully agrees that the issue of donation should be decided by all family members:
"It seems to me very important that people who have decided to become donors should definitely discuss this issue with their relatives. After all, their death will be a huge blow for the family. It may take more than one year to come to terms with the loss, so you should not expect that relatives will immediately show nobility and donate the organs of deceased loved ones. So donors should prepare the family in advance for such a difficult decision. I am sure that this will dramatically increase the chances of those who need a transplant to get a healthy organ."
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru29.10.2013