A recent awareness campaign in Tunisia has shed light on the low rate of organ donation in the country. According to statistics from the National Center for the Promotion of Organ Transplantation, 70% of families refuse to donate organs from deceased relatives. This has become a major obstacle to the development of organ transplantation in Tunisia. The center is now focusing its awareness campaigns on the importance of including the phrase "donor" on national identity cards.
The National Center for the Promotion of Organ Transplantation has organized an awareness day in the city of Nablus, in collaboration with the regional health administration and internal security services. The event aims to encourage people to donate organs and promote the importance of organ transplantation. The center's national coordinator, Bouthaina Zenad, stated that there are currently 17,000 Tunisians who have included the phrase "donor" on their identity cards.
According to Zenad, the number of patients in need of organ transplantation is significant, with 14,000 patients undergoing dialysis and 30% of them requiring a kidney transplant. Additionally, 1,600 patients are on the waiting list for organ transplantation. The number of patients on the waiting list increases by 300 each year, while the number of organ transplants from deceased donors is limited to 30 per year, in addition to 80 transplants from living donors.
The situation is even more critical for patients in need of heart or liver transplants, as these are the only treatment options available to them. Zenad stated that there are approximately 50 patients per year in need of heart or liver transplants, and only 12 heart transplants and 12 liver transplants are performed from deceased donors each year.
The National Coordinator of the National Center for the Promotion of Organ Transplantation, Mohamed Hedi Fekaroui, stated that a total of 34 organ transplants have been performed since the beginning of 2026, with one-quarter of them being for children. He emphasized that the refusal of families to donate organs from deceased relatives is the main obstacle to the development of organ transplantation in Tunisia.
Fekaroui stressed that organ donation is carried out within a clear legal framework and is only performed in six public hospitals in Tunisia. He also emphasized that organ donation is in line with Islamic principles and does not contradict them. The awareness day targeted police services, particularly those responsible for issuing identity cards, to encourage them to facilitate the process of adding the phrase "donor" to identity cards.
The Wali of Nablus, Hanaa Chouchani, emphasized that the awareness day is an important opportunity to promote organ donation as a humanitarian act that can give a seriously ill person a second chance at life. She also highlighted the importance of cooperation between different authorities to facilitate the process of organ donation and transplantation.
Key points
- 70% of Tunisian families refuse to donate organs from deceased relatives.
- The National Center for the Promotion of Organ Transplantation is promoting awareness campaigns to encourage organ donation.
- There are currently 17,000 Tunisians who have included the phrase "donor" on their identity cards.
