40K await organ transplants

[Anchor]

There are over 40,000 patients waiting for organ transplants, such as kidneys and livers.

However, as the number of organ donors continues to decline, 3,000 patients die each year while waiting for transplants.

Reporter Park Min-kyung has the story.

[Report]

An ambulance carrying an organ donor rushes into the emergency room of a university hospital.

The hospital will strictly assess brain death to determine if the patient is suitable for transplantation.

[Kim Hae-joo/Organ Transplant Coordinator: "After completing the secondary brain death investigation, brain wave tests, and the brain death determination committee, we proceed with the donation surgery."]

Such organ donations occur only about once a day nationwide.

To donate, consent from the family of the brain-dead patient is required.

[Lee Ye-bit/Brain-dead donor's family: "My mom was someone who often did this for others. I think she would agree with our opinions. I think she would say it was the right thing to do."]

Lee Seok-jun, a patient with chronic kidney disease, received a kidney transplant after waiting for 13 years, freeing him from the pain of dialysis.

[Lee Seok-jun/Kidney Transplant Recipient: "(The family of the brain-dead donor) made a great decision, allowing me to live comfortably again. I will take really good care of this kidney so it doesn't fail...."]

The number of patients waiting for organ transplants has increased from about 35,000 in 2020 to over 45,000 last year.

However, the number of brain-dead donors fell from 478 in 2020 to below 400 last year due to conflicts in the medical community.

[Jo Ah-reum/Korea Organ Donation Agency, Organ Transplant Coordinator: "The number of applicants has decreased significantly, and the cases of donations being carried out have also decreased. The situation has been quite poor even up to the first half of this year...."]

Last year, over 3,000 patients died while waiting for organ transplants.

This is KBS News, Park Min-kyung.