Healthcare crisis - Live kidney transplant scheme vital

WITH more than 1,200 patients on kidney dialysis here, the Irish Kidney Association has again called for the establishment of a live kidney transplant programme to allow living family members to donate a kidney.

A successful kidney transplant affords recipients a much better quality of life, because they are usually able to return to work, unlike those who have to remain on dialysis. We are one of the few countries in Europe that does not provide transplants from live donors. This is not due to a lack of either facilities or trained personnel, but because there is no programme to arrange them. The capability already exists.

There are 280 people on a transplant list at Beaumont Hospital, Dublin, waiting for kidneys from deceased donors. The whole thing makes neither medical nor economic sense. From the economic standpoint, it costs €75,000 a year to keep a patient on dialysis, while it would only cost up to €25,000 for the first year and much less for each succeeding year for a live transplant.