Within transplant medicine, South Africa holds a paradoxical position: as the location of the first successful human-to-human heart transplant in 1967, it is also shaped by colonialism and apartheid, which routinely denied equitable healthcare access. This review places Dr Christiaan Barnard’s historic surgery within a broader sociopolitical context and examines how historical structures continue to affect donation rates and public trust. Drawing on Foucauldian biopower, Titmuss’s gift theory and Waldby’s notion of bio-value, it argues that the transplant crisis in South Africa, with the critically low deceased donor rate, currently 1.4 per million population, is not merely a logistical or awareness problem but an outcome of biopolitics, which has a legacy of distrust regarding the body across generations. Post-apartheid reforms, including the National Health Act of 2003, did not eliminate the disparities; systemic reform, culturally sensitive research, and infrastructure investment remain necessary. A narrative historical review methodology was employed, synthesising peer-reviewed literature, archival sources, and South African legal frameworks, interpreted through Foucauldian biopower, Titmuss’s gift theory and Waldby’s notion of bio-value. This review contributes to the social science and health literature by grounding a persistent public health crisis in its historical and biopolitical foundations, and by identifying directions for future research on organ donation decision-making in South Africa.
Thalassemia is an inherited blood disorder associated with numerous challenges for individuals. The aim of this study is to compare the levels of perceived stress, coping strategies, and social support among individuals with thalassemia and healthy individuals. In this case–control study, 128 participants, including 64 thalassemic patientsand 64 healthy individuals, were examined. Patients were selected from the Thalassemia Center of Babol University of Medical Sciences. Healthy individuals were matched with the patient in terms of age and education level. All participants completed the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-14), the Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations (CISS-SF), and the Fleming Social Support Scale. Thalassemic patients receive significantly higher levels of social support (16.8 ± 3.1 vs 14.9 ± 3.7, P = 0.003), particularly from family and peers, However their perceived stress is significantly higher than healthy individuals (22.6 ± 5.0 vs 28.2 ± 5.2, P < 0.001). This study demonstrated that thalassemic patients exhibit significantly lower average use of Task-oriented coping styles and Emotion-oriented coping styles compared to healthy individuals. This study recommends healthcare professionals enhancing coping strategies against stress in thalassemic patient care. The high levels of stress in thalassemic patients underscore the need for targeted interventions to improve coping skills for these individuals. Due to the study’s limited sample size and sampling method, we recommend conducting a large-sized, randomly sampled survey in future research to provide more generalizable findings.
To increase organ donation, understanding the factors that influence a family’s decision to donate or not is essential to developing effective strategies to alleviate the current donor shortage. By concentrating on the lived experiences and perspectives of both donors’ and non-donors’ families, this study aims to uncover the intricate interactions that shape these critical decisions. The goal of this study was to investigate the factors that affect families’ decisions regarding organ donation, particularly through the experiences of both donors’ and non-donors’ families. The present study was conducted using a qualitative method and conventional content analysis approach (CCA) following Graneheim and Lundman’s approach. Sixteen family members of donors and non-donors were included in the study through a purposive sampling method. Data were gathered by using semi structured interviews. Participants were 10 females and 6 males; the mean age of families was 54.73 ± 21.49 years. Data analysis led to the emergence of two themes: Organ Donation Coordinators’ Characters including coordinator’s communication competence, expertise, and empathetic demeanor, comprehension of the concept of brain death, clinical and psychological expertise, sufficient information about the patient’s record, timing of the request, setting in which the request is made, type of medical staff behavior towards family; and personal values, including trust in healthcare systems, cultural issues, emotional distress, religious belief, along with 37 categories. The characteristics and behavior of coordinators shape the families’ beliefs about the organ donation process, the circumstances under which requests are made, and their personal and cultural values. Effective communication, a respectful environment, and cultural sensitivity are crucial for facilitating acceptance and informed decision-making regarding organ donation.
Socioeconomic conditions play a pivotal role in influencing smoking patterns. The aim of this study was to examine socioeconomic inequalities in cigarette smoking among households (CSH) and explain the factors contributing to these inequalities across Iranian households at a national level. This cross-sectional study was conducted using a sample of 37,759 households from the Iran Household Income and Expenditure Survey of 2021. Univariate analysis and logistic regression were used to assess factors related to smoking. Moreover, the Concentration Index (CI) was used to assess socio-economic inequality in CSH. All analyses accounted for sampling weights and employed cluster-robust standard errors. Data were analyzed using Stata 17. The prevalence rates of CSH in Iran were 8.5
