Organ donors can register status on Facebook

By Yun Suh-young

Korean Facebook users will be able to add their status as organ donors on the social networking service website starting today, joining people in 11 other countries already using the service.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Korea Center for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said Tuesday that local users can now state their intention to become an organ donor or update their status as a donor on their timeline as of Sept. 5.

The service is currently available in Australia, Brazil, Colombia, Denmark, Ireland, Netherlands, New Zealand, South Africa, Sweden, United Kingdom, and the United States but this is the first time the service is being provided in Asia.

On the “Life Events” section of timeline, Facebook users can state their intention to become an organ donor and share their story about when, where or why they decided to become a donor.

Although this is not the official procedure to register as a donor, it can be effective in encouraging other users who are connected as friends to also take an interest in becoming a donor.

Those wishing to officially register as a donor through the national donor registry may click on the link provided.

“Just sharing the fact that one is an organ donor candidate raises awareness about organ donation and encourages others to register as candidates as well,” the Korean Network for Organ Sharing (KONOS) under the KCDC said through a press release.

Medical experts say increased awareness about organ donation can save many lives. Many die while waiting for an organ transplant because there are not enough organ donors.

“We are very encouraged by the worldwide social networking service Facebook’s launching of the service in Korea. We hope many will participate in registering as a donor and raise awareness about organ donation,” said Jun Byeong-yool, director of KCDC.

Ever since the service was launched in the U.S. in May, about 250,000 people actually registered as official organ donors on their national registry since they indicated they were organ donor candidates on their timeline.

To add “organ donor” on the timeline, go to “Life Event” section, click on “Health and Wellness” and add “organ donor.”

In Korea, about 20,000 people are waiting for an organ donation as of July this year, and about 910 people on average die every year due to the lack of donors.