With an amendment to the Regulation on Organ Transplant Services by the Ministry of Health, the spouses and first-degree relatives of donors whose organs are transplanted after their death will be given priority in organ transplants, coming immediately after emergency patients if they are ever in need of a transplant themselves.
The “Regulation Amending the Regulation on Organ Transplant Services” was published in the Official Gazette and entered into force on Sept. 26.
With the new regulation, measures were introduced to encourage organ donation and accelerate transplant procedures.
Under the amendment, citizens can now complete organ donation procedures electronically through the e-Government (e-Devlet) system via the Organ Donation Application or through the e-Nabız health platform. Once identity verification is completed with a secure electronic signature, mobile signature or e-Government password, the donation process will be finalized with a two-step authentication method.
Donors will also be able to change their declarations at any time via the same digital platforms. The individuals named during the donation process will be notified through the e-Nabız system.
The regulation also introduced provisions for the relatives of organ donors. Accordingly, if the spouse or first-degree relatives of a person whose organs were transplanted to others later require an organ transplant themselves, they will be given priority on the waiting list immediately after emergency patients.
According to the regulation, in cases where a person has not made any declaration regarding organ donation, consent for organ or tissue removal will be sought in the following order: from the spouse present at the time of death, adult children, parents or siblings; if none are available, consent may be obtained from another relative present.
