The National Center for the Promotion of Organ Transplantation in Tunisia recently organized an awareness campaign in the city of Nabel, in collaboration with the regional health administration and internal security services. The campaign aimed to promote organ donation and encourage people to include the phrase "organ donor" on their national identity cards. According to statistics from the center, 70% of families of deceased individuals refuse to donate their organs, hindering the development of organ transplantation in Tunisia.
The awareness campaign included a seminar on the importance of organ donation and the procedures for obtaining a national identity card with the "organ donor" phrase. The national coordinator of the center, Mohamed Hedi Fekaroui, stated that the number of organ transplant operations performed since the beginning of 2023 until September 30th was 34, with a quarter of them being for children. He emphasized that the refusal of families to donate organs from deceased relatives remains the main obstacle to the development of organ transplantation in Tunisia.
The center's national coordinator also highlighted that organ donation in Tunisia is carried out within a clear legal framework and exclusively in six public hospitals. He stressed that organ donation is compatible with Islamic principles and that it is essential to intensify awareness and education efforts on the importance of organ donation. According to Bithine Zenaid, the national coordinator of the center, there are currently 17,000 Tunisians who have included the phrase "organ donor" on their national identity cards.
The awareness campaign targeted police services, particularly those responsible for issuing national identity cards, to encourage them to facilitate the process of adding the "organ donor" phrase. The campaign also targeted internal security services, especially traffic police and national guards, who play a crucial role in transporting donated organs from one region to another. The goal is to ensure that organs reach hospitals without delay.
The Wali of Nabel, Hanaa Chouchani, emphasized that organ donation is a humanitarian act that expresses the highest sense of solidarity and generosity. She noted that organ donation can give a seriously ill person a new chance at life and restore hope to an entire family. The program of the awareness campaign included a live testimony from a patient suffering from kidney failure, who is undergoing dialysis and hopes to receive a kidney transplant.
The campaign also featured presentations on the benefits and procedures for obtaining a national identity card with the "organ donor" phrase, as well as the legal and medical guarantees for organ donation and transplantation. Additionally, a presentation was made on the compatibility of organ donation with Islamic principles. The center aims to raise awareness and encourage people to donate organs, particularly among those who are waiting for a transplant.
There are currently 14,000 patients undergoing dialysis in Tunisia, with 30% of them needing a kidney transplant, and 1,600 patients registered on the waiting list. The number of patients on the waiting list increases by 300 each year, while the number of organ transplant operations from deceased donors does not exceed 30 per year, in addition to 80 operations from living donors. The center is working to increase awareness and education on organ donation to address the shortage of available organs.
Key points
- 70% of Tunisian families refuse to donate organs from deceased relatives.
- The National Center for the Promotion of Organ Transplantation aims to raise awareness and encourage people to include the phrase "organ donor" on their national identity cards.
- There are currently 17,000 Tunisians who have included the phrase "organ donor" on their national identity cards.
