A Comparative Analysis of the Attitudes of Bulgarian and Romanian Stakeholders towards Living Organ Donation
A Comparative Analysis of the Attitudes of Bulgarian and Romanian Stakeholders towards Living Organ Donation

Summary/Abstract: Recently, the European Union has specifically funded several research and cooperation projects aiming to expand living donation in Europe. The project Living Organ Donation in Europe (EULOD) aimed at identifying and analyzing barriers to living organ donation in Europe, and formulating best practice proposals. Statistics show that Romania and Bulgaria have been ranking last among the EU countries in combined organ donation rate and the number of transplants per million population. Two focus groups were conducted in Bulgaria and Romania as part of scientific Work Package 2 of EULOD. The focus groups included major stakeholders such as transplant coordinators, nephrologists, medical lawyers and patients’ representatives. English translations of the focus group transcripts were coded in NVivo 9, and analyzed by a team of researchers. Particular attention was paid to the ethical and legal issues identified in the participants’ answers. Both the Bulgarian and Romanian participants emphasized the merits of their respective legislation regulating living donation. Respondents remained skeptical about the possibility of implementing Samaritan donation and of offering financial compensations for living donors and, considered them as steps towards organ trade. The Bulgarian participants identified financial obstacles as a major barrier to organ transplantation, whereas the Romanian stakeholders were more concerned about the institutional barriers. The similarities and differences between the two countries show that measures designed to foster living donation in Europe need to take into account the specific contexts and the unique cultural, moral, political and legal characteristics of the relevant countries.

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