Hitches to establish BD/DNC protocols to declare death in Africa

Abstract

The World Brain Death Project addresses discrepancies in clinical guidelines across different countries and focuses attention on the need for better education and certification of clinicians who are authorized to make this clinical diagnosis. The World Brain Death Project published an outstanding paper formulating a consensus statement of recommendations on the determination of brain death/ death by neurologic criteria (BD/DNC). Now, Lewis et al particularized analysis of brain death/death by neurologic criteria (BD/DNC) protocols in Africa and found that the percentage of countries with BD/DNC protocols is much lower in Africa than in other developing regions. This is the largest assessment up to the present time about the prevalence of BD/DNC protocols in that continent. The authors also affirmed that, compared with Africa, the proportion of countries with BD/DNC protocols in Latin America/the Caribbean and Asia/the Pacific is similar to that of the world in general. In Africa, hundreds of religions are recognized. In Cuba, the Yoruba religion is very common [1]. Santería, was developed in Cuba and then spread throughout Latin America and the United States. Santería was brought to Cuba by people of the Yoruban nations of West Africa (mainly from the actual territory of Nigeria), who were enslaved in great numbers in the first decades of the 19th century. It arose through a process of syncretism between the traditional Yoruba religion of West Africa, the Roman Catholic form of Christianity, and Spiritism. Curiously, although in Cuba, Santeria, and Christian religions are common, contrary to Africa, most people accept BD/DNC and organ donation. It is also important to consider many African countries are lacking primary and essential medical services, which makes more difficult the establishment of BD/DNC and organ donation protocols.