I am sure that if anyone’s near and dear need kidney transplant, he may be most probably having sleepless nights, anxiety and bad dreams.
The legal supply of organ is surprisingly low and the official registries in hospitals are continuously increasing high. American hospitals are seeing 119% kidney demand increase every decade. The hundreds of thousands of patients with failing kidney pathetically die every year in the world while waiting for the kidney. In the United States alone about 3500 patients die every year because scarcity of kidney and no blood relatives comes forward to donate it. Can you guess the situations in the thickly populated, poor and undeveloped countries like India and Ethiopia?
The kidney transplant operations are growing leaps and bound every decade due to new medical technologies, medicines, invention, and insurance facility as well as wealth. Just in American there are 16000 kidney transplants operations every year, an increase of 45% every decade. The demand can be understood by just one true instance recently happened in India. Parasnath, living in Sirohi, UP, borrowed money from local moneylenders run by mafia on huge interest rate. The sum jumped so high in few years that it became beyond his capacity to repay. He was coerced by the debtors to sale his kidney. The deal was finalized with a doctor in New Delhi within no time. But the police saved him in time (StarNews ‘Sansani’.14.9.07).
The kidney shortage is generating serious repercussions and new type of problems in the poor countries. The powerful and politically backed mafias and doctors are now involved in the game of illegal kidney trade and its removal. It appears that beggars, street children, insane and destitute are lured, abducted and killed for organ and sale it at lucrative prices in undeveloped countries. A morbid thought engulf mind whenever human’s skeletons including those of children are discovered in mass around slum areas, as recently happened in some parts of India. Muhammad Asgar, resident of Yazman village, district Bahawalpur, Pakistan lodged complain to police that his son Mohammad Amjad’s kidney was forcibly removed by a doctor and some people. The mind-blowing judgment by the district and session judge exonerated the doctor and accused! Pakistan’s famed Chief Justice Iftekhar Mohammed Choudhary took suo motu notice of this case and ordered its re-appeal. He has told The News, “Pakistan is a den for trade in human organs and illegal trade of human organs especially kidney was thriving unchecked in the country.” The chief justice was so annoyed that he summoned the health secretary and cabinet division secretary and accused the government for intentionally delaying a bill intended to protect the citizen against illegal removal of organs.
The best possible option in present is to help in establishing contacts between two organ desiring parties through media, word of mouth and internet for mutual exchange between their closed and blood relatives. But surprisingly the Non Government Organizations are not taking much interest in such project. The English economist Alvin Roth, with some eminent personalities and medical professionals founded ‘The New England Program for Kidney Exchange’ on the same principle. They arrange simultaneous kidney removal so no party goes off from their word.
There is now growing number of people who now vehemently favour the idea that the willing individual must be allowed to sale his kidney as what is happening in case of sperm, blood and renting the womb. Journalist Stephen J. Dubner & Steven D Levitt of New York who did extensive study on the subject writes in ‘Market for Organ’ “Everybody fills pocket in surgery. The surgeon, hospital, staff and drug companies are getting money for their services except only the donor. When every party stands to profit from this transaction, so only donor should not be left out?”
The supporters of organ trading views that it would make underprivileged and destitute people financially independent to fulfil basic needs as the money received can be used to support their family financially and medically to get away from miserable and precarious life. Many such people want to help their terminally ill children, spouse and blood relatives (many of those need kidney transplant) by selling their own organs. Economist Gary Becker and Julio Jorge Ellias say, “Monetary incentives would increase the supply of organs for transplant sufficiently to eliminate the very large queues in organ markets, and the suffering and deaths of many of those waiting.”
It is open secret that clandestine and forceful taking out of organ is already in process. The most of victims are children and unprivileged. The legality can make donors to come for their medical treatment instead of dying pathetically and unknown. The young surgeon Dr. Ashok Tripathi says, “The illegal organ trading is already happening, so why not, making it legal. The legality will prevent abuse and exploitation of the poor donor.”
The paradigm and attitude shifts do occur according to developments and changing time. The life insurance (which was once termed as “the commercialization of dead body”) and interest on money were once not socially accepted. Many including famed sociologist Viviana Zelizer and Harvard economist Alvin Roth believe that kidney trading would finally be socially accepted in future.
The production of kidneys by cloning is distance dream. The majority of people I have interviewed including doctors viewed organ trading repugnant that will give impetus to exploitation of poor.
We must address fears and concerns before thinking for a win win situation as we can live with one kidney but there is also possibility of psychological and internal problem:
• Potential donor must be adult and not be addicted.
• The money scarcity and poverty should be the criteria for allowing someone to sale his organ.
• Consent of spouse must be taken.
• A special arrangement with government, district hospitals officials and or insurance companies can be arranged for medical need and concerns of the donor arising due to kidney donation.
Nobody knows who will need kidney to save his near and dear in the future!
O human being, the matter needs your urgent attention!
The earlier is the win win solution, the more and more life would be saved.