By Lin Hui-chin and Jonathan Chin / Staff reporter, with staff writerA national shortage of organs and donors has continued to worsen, adding that modest increases to the numbers of organ donors are being far outstripped by a rising number of people awaiting transplants, the Taiwan Organ Registry and Sharing Center said on Thursday. While the number of organ donors last year increased to 324 people, up from 264 people in 2015, those awaiting organ transplants rose from 8,674 to 9,576 during the same period, it said, adding that the center expects the figure to exceed 10,000 by the end of this year. Aging populations have led to rising demand for transplants around the world, but a cultural aversion to organ donation — originating from the Chinese custom of preserving the whole body for burial — has worsened the problem in Taiwan, center chief executive Chiang Yang-jen (江仰仁) said. A comprehensive public education effort would be needed to change the culture, he said, adding that the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Ministry of Education should consider incorporating materials about organ donation in the elementary-school curriculum. Social worker Hsieh Shu-hao (謝書豪), who is based at Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in Taoyuan, said that he has personally witnessed family disputes sparked by organ donations.

Source: Taipei Times June 28, 2019 15:56 UTC