Children at risk of missing out on transplants

IRISH children awaiting transplant operations in Britain may no longer be able to avail of organs from “non-heartbeating” donors if they live more than three hours travel time from the British hospital where the surgery will take place.

Such a development is one of the possible outcomes of a report into the controversial failure to arrange a flight in sufficient time to transport a Leitrim teenager to Britain for a life-saving liver transplant in July.

The report by the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) has recommended that the parents of such children be made aware of such logistical difficulties so they could consider relocating to either Dublin or London to avail of organs from “non-heartbeating” donors.