ASTANA – Kazakhstan is intensifying efforts to raise public awareness of organ donation and improve its transplant system as 4,739 patients, including 126 children, remain on the national transplant waiting list, with transplantation representing the only chance of survival for many of them.
A documentary film, “4739,” produced by the Khabar Agency, premiered in Astana on July 21 to highlight the importance of organ transplantation, the work of transplant specialists, and the experiences of patients awaiting donor organs.The title reflects the number of people currently on Kazakhstan’s transplant waiting list.
More than 350 patients die each year before receiving a suitable organ. Through the stories of transplant recipients, their families, and medical professionals, the film aims to encourage informed public discussion while respecting different personal and ethical views on organ donation, reported the Prime Minister’s press service.
Opening the premiere, Aida Balayeva highlighted Kazakhstan’s significant progress in transplant medicine. Photo credit: Prime Minister’s press service The documentary will be broadcast on the 24KZ TV channel on July 24 at 7:30 p.m. Government reaffirms support for transplant medicine Opening the premiere, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Culture and Information Aida Balayeva said protecting citizens’ lives and health remains a government priority in line with President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s policy of strengthening healthcare and developing high-tech medicine.
She said Kazakhstan has made significant progress in transplant medicine, with domestic specialists performing increasingly complex operations requiring advanced technology and multidisciplinary expertise. The government will continue to develop the national transplant system, strengthen the capacity of medical institutions, and expand public awareness efforts, she added.
Balayeva also wrote on her Facebook account that she has officially registered her consent to posthumous organ donation. “One person’s decision can give another the opportunity to continue living despite everything. That is why we must discuss this issue not through the prism of fear, but with understanding, responsibility, and deep respect for human life.
Human life is the highest value, and every step taken to preserve it can be of enormous, sometimes decisive, significance. Every person awaiting a transplant lives with the hope of a second chance. Preserving that hope is our shared human responsibility,” she wrote.
Transplant activity expands, as waiting list remains high According to the National Center for Coordination of Transplantation and High-Tech Medical Services, 4,739 patients are currently awaiting organ transplantation, including 4,208 people waiting for kidney transplants, 293 for liver transplants, 208 for heart transplants, and 30 for lung transplants.
The waiting list includes 126 children. Since Kazakhstan established its modern transplant service in 2012, doctors have performed 3,270 organ transplants, including kidney, liver, heart, lung, corneal and pancreas transplant procedures. Overall, 82% of operations have relied on living donors, while 18% have been performed using organs from deceased donors.