ORGAN DONATION AND TRANSPLANTATION IN NORTH MACEDONIA
Keywords:
Organ donation, transplantation, attitudes, factors influencing organ donationAbstract
Introduction: In the era of transplantation development, the number of available organ donors is still insufficient. Several factors, including public education regarding organ donation, contribute to this shortage.
The aim of our study was to assess public opinion and level of information regarding transplantation and organ donation among citizens of the RNM and to assess the development of transplantation from a deceased donor in recent years.
Material and methods: The study was conducted using a questionnaire and by reviewing official data on transplantations performed in the Republic of North Macedonia. The study included 90 randomly selected respondents (29 men and 61 women) with different level of education and ethnicity, and was realized in the period from January to February 2024.
Results: Most respondents (87.7%) responded that they were familiar with organ donation and transplantation and were informed about the development of transplantation in our country. From them, 74.4% fully supported organ transplantation and 70% supported cadaveric transplantation - mostly because of the desire to give life. Insufficient information about the entire transplantation process was the most common reason why families do not agree to donate organs. Cadaveric transplantation in our country has been increasing, with a peak in 2021/2022 (3.89 donations per million population), and it includes transplantations of kidney, heart, bone, ligament tissues, and liver.
Conclusion: Our study has shown that there is sufficient information and a positive attitude toward organ transplantation and organ donation in our country, as well as significant progress in transplantation from a deceased donor.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Biljana Andonovska, Maja Mojsova Mijovska, Vanja Trajkovska, Alan Andonovski, Amela Muminovik, Slavica Kostadinova Kunovska
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