Kurdish organization calls for establishing a hospital for organ transplants

Shafaq News/ The Kurdish Organ Donation Organization (KODO) on Thursday expressed concern over the lack of a specialized hospital in the Kurdistan region of Iraq for organ transplants.

The organization's chairman, Ferhad Qader, told the Shafaq News Agency that the organization was founded 11 years ago and has received 6,800 membership applications from citizens. However, due to the organization's strict membership criteria, only 1,230 members have been officially accepted.

Qader said that six or seven organs can be harvested from a dead body, and that KODO has received four kidneys from living members. However, six members of the organization have died without their organs being used because of the lack of a specialized hospital.

Qadar said that KODO is currently working with the Ministry of Health to explore the possibility of opening a private hospital to facilitate organ transplants. He noted that the Shar Hospital in Erbil alone performs between 500 and 800 kidney dialysis procedures per month, at a cost of $100 per procedure to the government.

Qader said that if a specialized hospital were available, KODO could provide it with about 10 donors per month. This would help to save the lives of many citizens, he said.