They say that after death your body returns to dust but your legacy lives on. Donating organs and thus saving the lives of those in need is a great legacy. However, many Koreans hesitate to give their body parts to strangers. In 2009, the well-respected Korean cardinal Stephen Kim Sou-hwan donated his cornea and moved others to follow his example. SNU Hospital Transplant Center is the front runner in the movement to persuade people to donate their organs.
Among the Korean hospitals that accommodate brain-dead patients, SNU Hospital Transplant Center currently has the highest number of brain-dead patients. According to research conducted by SNU Hospital (SNUH), there are 42 hospitals capable of performing organ transplantation in the country. The majority of Korea's brain-dead patients have donated their organs through SNUH; 37 patients in 2009, 40 patients in 2010, and 36 patients so far this year.
An organ transplant is a cutting edge medical treatment that can give new life to patients suffering from chronic organ failure. However, the culture of organ donation is not widespread in Korea as yet, so many critically ill patients are not able to receive treatment. In September 2011, 21,057 patients were waiting desperately to get an organ transplant, whereas the number of brain-dead donors was only 271.
SNUH was able to produce the largest number of organ donors because of its continuous efforts to promote the culture of organ donation. SNUH Transplant Center participated in the successful efforts to pass the so-called 'potential brain-dead patient reporting system' law. This law will obligate medical facilities to report to the government when it determines that one of its patients has a high possibility of becoming brain-dead. The Transplant Center also established a group dedicated to the cause of spreading the culture of organ donation. The group is called 'SaengMyung It Gi', which means"connecting life" in Korean.
SNUH Transplant Center was behind the foundation of the Korean Organ Donation Agency (KODA). KODA is an agency that helps make the procedure of donating organs more effective. It determines whether patients are brain-dead and persuades the family members of the brain-dead patient to agree to the organ donation. SNUH Transplant Center tries to educate the public and highlight the need for people to actively donate organs. It strives to develop new policies to establish a donating culture. The head of the SNUH Transplant Center, Ahn Curie, said,"Korea has the best organ transplant technology in the world and more people are now more aware of the necessity of organ donation than ever before. However, there are still many cases in which the family members of the patients are against the idea. The prejudice against organ donation should be eradicated. I will do my best to raise the Korean people's awareness on the necessity of organ donation."
Written by JANG Hyo Jeong, SNU English Editor, fatalbonds@snu.ac.kr ?
Reviewed by Eli Park Sorensen, SNU Professor of Liberal Studies, eps7257@snu.ac.kr
Proofread by Brett Johnson, SNU English Editor, morningcalm2@gmail.com