site.btaMajority of Bulgarians Willing to Donate Organs to Relative, Research Shows

The majority of Bulgarians are willing to donate organs to a relative or a loved one if there is a need, according to a nationally representative survey conducted by Trend Research Centre. The data were presented during a discussion on Bulgarians' attitudes towards donation and transplantation" on Monday.

More than half of the respondents (55%) answered affirmatively to the question whether they would donate an organ to a relative if this will be life-saving, 19% said they would not do so, and 26% said they could not decide.

Organ donation was approved by 62% of respondents, 18% disapproved and 20% could not decide. When asked if they would agree to donate their own organs after death, 40% of respondents responded positively, 34% disagreed, and 26% could not decide. However, eight out of ten people have not spoken to their relatives at all about the subject of donation.

Higher support for donation is shown by people in the 30-60 age group who are well acquainted with the topic. There is higher disapproval among people over 60, the data also show.

Some 33% are not familiar with the topic of donation at all while 34% indicated that they were rather unfamiliar. 5% of respondents said they were completely familiar with the topic. 7% were completely familiar with the concept of brain death, 31% said they were rather unfamiliar, 34% said they were rather familiar, and 24% were completely unfamiliar. Just over a third are familiar with the fact that brain death is an irreversible condition. Nearly half of those who responded said they would trust a doctor with a brain death diagnosis, with the more highly educated trusting doctors more. The reason for not trusting a medical diagnosis for 68% of respondents was fear of misdiagnosis. For 60% the reason for distrust was lack of trust in doctors, for 51% - suspicion of doctors' involvement in illegal schemes related to donation, for 30% - experience with misdiagnosis of relatives, etc.

When asked for what reason they would not agree to become an organ donor after their death, 42% said they did not think they were suitable to be a donor, 38% said doctors might not do what was necessary to save their life, 30% said they were afraid of the process, 27% expressed fear that their life might be in danger, etc.

Nearly 40% of respondents said they would like their loved ones to donate their organs after their death, and 32% said they would not. Nearly 30% could not decide, with 77% of all respondents saying they had not shared their wishes with their relatives. 

Awareness of the topic of donation is unsatisfactory, according to the findings of the survey.

Medical Supervision Executive Agency Executive Director Yordanka Dineva said trust is an essential part of donation. "The more knowledge we have, the more good we can do," she added. Dineva said the capital's medical college plans to send young doctors abroad to be trained in organ transplantation.

"Donation and transplantation are huge achievements, I have visited the Lozenets hospital more than once, where I have seen in real life what can happen, what a miracle it is to be able to give life to another person who is in a severe condition," said Deputy Health Minister Boyko Penkov. The Ministry of Health, together with the Medical Supervision Executive Agency, continues to work on the national programme to promote donation, he added.

He argued that the Trend research will lead to further steps towards a positive change in public attitudes.

"If we want to develop donation, we need to decide how to develop the topic in the future, we need a clearer understanding in society," said Pirogov Hospital Deputy Director Nikolai Gabrovski. According to him, the main problems are the lack of information, trust and communication.