Deceased-donor kidney transplantation is the transplantation of a kidney retrieved from a person who has been declared brain-dead into a patient on the deceased-donor waiting list because of chronic kidney failure. Increasing the number of deceased-donor transplants should be the first priority in expanding organ transplantation.
Legal Requirements for Deceased-Donor Organ Donation:
- Brain death must have occurred under intensive care conditions, and the diagnosis must be established by a team of specialist physicians.
- The donor must not have serious medical problems such as kidney disease, cancer, diabetes, or active infection, according to the source's eligibility description.
- Even if the donor agreed to donate during their lifetime, the source states that organs cannot be retrieved without the consent of their legal next of kin.
Patients seeking a deceased-donor kidney transplant apply to a hospital for tissue typing, blood group testing, and other health assessments. Their information is forwarded to the National Coordination Center (UKM).
Kidneys are allocated through scoring and matching on the National Organ Transplant Waiting List. The Ministry of Health's criteria for selecting a recipient include:
- Blood group compatibility
- Tissue compatibility
- Age
- Duration of dialysis
- Time spent on the waiting list
The computer system ranks eligible patients and directs the organ to the most suitable candidate. During the call-up process, the first five patients are invited to transplantation centers. Their health status and crossmatch results (immune compatibility tests) are assessed.
How to Register on the Deceased-Donor Waiting List:
Contact an Organ Transplantation Center and speak with its Transplant Coordinator. Required documents include:
- Identity document
- Blood group certificate
- Medical discharge or clinical summary report (epicrisis)
After a nephrology consultation, the necessary examinations are performed. Following tissue typing and PRA testing, the case is reviewed by the transplant committee; eligible candidates are registered on the Ministry of Health National Waiting List.
While waiting, patients have the following responsibilities:
- Inform the Organ Transplant Coordinator of all relevant changes, including hospitalization, infections, blood transfusions, and travel away from their city
- Do not miss routine examinations and tests
When You Are Called for an Organ Transplant:
- Reach the center as quickly as possible.
- Do not eat or drink.
- Bring identity and health insurance documents, medications, and the results of your latest tests.
- A call does not guarantee that transplantation will take place; suitability testing determines whether the operation can proceed.
Changing Your Organ Transplantation Center:
A patient may be registered at only one center on the waiting list. To transfer, apply to the coordinator of the preferred center and submit a petition. The transfer is completed following Ministry approval.
For People Who Want to Donate Organs:
Anyone over 18 years old with decision-making capacity can become an organ donor. Applications may be made to provincial health directorates, transplant coordinators at public or private hospitals, or primary healthcare facilities.
After completing the form, the donor receives an organ donor card, and the information is recorded in the Ministry of Health system. However, according to the source, the card alone is not sufficient; consent from relatives remains necessary for donation to proceed.
Therefore, it is very important for donors to communicate their wishes to their relatives. Donors may also withdraw their decision by applying at any time.
Organ Donation Week is observed in Türkiye every year from November 3 to 9 to raise public awareness. Despite these efforts, the number of deceased donors remains insufficient and waiting lists are long.
For this reason, living-donor kidney transplantation remains an important and practical alternative.