The government is considering expanding eligibility for organ donation that had been limited to patients declared brain dead to include those without vital signs.

According to a report by the health ministry, as provided by the office of Democratic Party(DP) Rep. Seo Mi-hwa, researchers recommended adoption of a system for donation after circulatory death(DCD).

Under the system, patients without vital signs who had given prior consent for medical personnel not to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation, can donate their organs after their circulation stops.

The researchers said the DCD system is a well-established form of organ donation in the United States and Europe and its adoption is expected to help address the issue of supply shortages in the country.

As of 2022, 41-thousand-590 people in South Korea were on the waiting list for organ donation, but the annual average of donation by patients declared brain dead stands at 986-point-nine cases.