Iran's brain-dead organ-donors on the rise

Gisoo Misha Ahmadi, Press TV, Tehran

Sixteen year-old Nader was enjoying his summer holidays just like any other teenager as he decided to help a neighbor with some welding on the roof. But at four a o'clock in the afternoon his father received terrible news that his son was in a coma in hospital. It took only a few hours before doctors said that Nader has suffered complete and irreversible loss of all brain function and is clinically and legally dead. Nader is now in a situation commonly known as brain death.

At this point the family needs to make a big decision much they don't have much time to reflect on but can change the lives of at least 6 other people.

Nader's family is shocked to find out that the young energetic and cheerful boy is gone but while grieving his loss doctors explain that it is only matter of hours before they can bring the slime back on faces of six families waiting for organ donation. His father wastes no time…

Nader's Father, Hojjatollah Farahani, says: “I thought to myself that my son is gone … at least his heart, his eyes, his kidneys, his liver can bring back hope to those families. I put myself in their shoes and I can feel what this means to them. I'm sure Nader will be happy. Maybe that's how God wants him to continue his life”.

In Iran less than two percent die under circumstances that make them medically eligible to be either organ or tissue donors. Only about 3 to 4 thousand are brain deaths with mechanical ventilation and medications to keep their heart beating and blood flowing to their organs while their families have only a couple of hours or in some cases minutes to allow donations.

Forensic and Legal Medicine Specialist, Mohammad Ali Emamhadi, says: “It is important to understand that declaring a patient brain dead is a complicated process. According to law two separate teams of specialists carry out examinations and finally an official repressive of Forensic and Legal Medicine department checks the results before a patient is pronounced brain dead this is why I want to draw your attention to the fact in the past six months we've had 30 donors who have saved the lives of at least 120 people. This is an impressive rise compared to the same period in 2009 when we had 620 confirmed brain deaths and only one percent of the families had agreed to allow donations back then”.

The figures have gone up quite impressively and this is mainly the result of Shaihid Beheshti University's special center and its website that educates the public about organ donations and brain death.