More than half of Moroccan doctors possess weak knowledge about organ donation, revealed a recent survey by the Moroccan Association for Kidney Disease Prevention, Organ Donation, and Transplantation.
According to the survey, conducted among Moroccan doctors in both public and private sectors, more than half of practitioners say their knowledge on the subject is weak, and only 26% consider it to be moderate.
When asked about information and training, 67% of Moroccan doctors voted that they had never attended any training sessions or workshops on organ donation.
74% of the same informants said that their knowledge about the Moroccan law governing organ donation and transplantation was limited, and 77% were unaware of the Islamic viewpoint on organ donation.
On the bright side, 64% of the surveyed doctors expressed their willingness to donate organs, and 76% of them preferred that the donation should be after death. Additionally, 80% indicated their desire to deepen their knowledge on the subject.
Reins chose “Organ donation is an act of solidarity that requires everyone’s participation” as the slogan to celebrate World Organ Donation and Transplantation Day on the 17th of October.
Reins implored the implementation of the recommendations from a meeting held in Rabat in 2022.
The meeting focused on the challenges and difficulties that impede the development of organ transplantation on humanitarian, legislative, religious, and economic grounds.
In 1999, Morocco passed a law governing organ donation, which Sunergia cited as requiring adherence to three principles: gratuity, anonymity, and permission.
Despite the fact that this technique is still uncommon in Morocco, numerous efforts are being made to promote it. These programs heavily rely on the organ transplant infrastructure and donation awareness campaigns.
Morocco lags behind other countries in the field of organ donation and transplantation.
Last March, a survey conducted by Sunergia found that 70% of Moroccans are aware that they might be able to donate their organs after passing away, as opposed to 30% who said they were not. 41% of respondents said they would like to do this.