The head of Turkey’s Organ Transplant Foundation said the rate of organ donations in Turkey was low despite the country’s accomplishments in successful organ and tissue transplants.

Speaking on the sidelines of a panel on organ transplant in the central city of Kayseri on Friday, Eyüp Kahveci said the problem was particularly obvious in donations of organs from the deceased. "A healthy person can consent to donate his or her kidney and liver and families can consent to donate more organs of a brain-dead patient. Yet, few families of deceased patients approve organ donations. We need efforts to increase the rate of donations, which is low compared to Europe," he said.

Turkey struggles to convince more people to donate their organs. Religious or cultural misconceptions prevent most from donating, while clerics and government agencies campaign to persuade potential donors. Over 25,000 people are on waiting lists for organ transplants. Unfortunately, about 10% of these patients pass away each year before having access to a matching organ. Although the number of organ donors is increasing annually, organ donations are still low in Turkey. Only 25% of the families whose relatives have died agree to donate organs.