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Giving it all: Indonesian organ donors share their stories
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Sign up: In Indonesia, one of the options for people who are willing to donate their organs is to sign up as cornea donors. (Unsplash/Brands People) (Unsplash/Brands People)
Indonesian organ donors do it to help their loved ones survive and for humanitarian concerns.
Being an organ donor in Indonesia often means dealing with misconceptions and stereotypes. For example, there are beliefs that organ donors cannot continue to live an ordinary life, and that burying those who died with missing organs violates certain religious norms.
Regardless of such issues, Fransiska Ncis, a private employee in Jakarta, is happy to donate her kidney to her sister's friend.
"This is purely for humanitarian purposes. I am not afraid at all," said the 31-year-old woman.
When asked whether or not she regrets that she now only has one kidney left, Fransiska firmly answered, "Not at all. I am happy."
For some chronic illnesses, like kidney failure, a transplant is the best therapy for patients. Unfortunately, transplants cannot always happen since the organ demands are soaring while the supply is too low.
According to the data from Dr. Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital (RSCM) as the national referral hospital, the number of organ donors has decreased in the past few years. In 2018, there were 108 kidney-transplant procedures. The figure dropped significantly to only 63 procedures in 2019.
