The organ crisis: a disaster of our own making

• Published in: The European journal of health economics 2014-01, Vol.15 (1), p.1-5
• Main Authors: Beard, T. Randolph, Osterkamp, Rigmar
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Altruism; Bioethics; Blood & organ donations; Compensation; Consent; Cost control; Dialysis; Donations; Economic Policy; EDITORIAL; Editorials; European Union; Health Care Management; Health care policy; Health Care Rationing - economics; Health Care Rationing - ethics; Health Care Rationing - organization & administration; Health Economics; Hemodialysis; Human organs; Humans; Incentives; International; Kidney diseases; Kidney Failure, Chronic - surgery; Kidney transplantation; Kidney transplants; Kidneys; Living Donors - ethics; Medical ethics; Medical waiting lists; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Organ donation; Organ Transplantation - economics; Organ Transplantation - ethics; Organ Transplantation - methods; Patients; Pharmacoeconomics and Health Outcomes; Public Finance; Public Health; Reforms; Shortages; Suppliers; Tissue and Organ Procurement - economics; Tissue and Organ Procurement - ethics; Tissue and Organ Procurement - organization & administration; Tissue procurement; Transplantation; Transplants & implants; United States
• ISSN: 1618-7598; 1618-7601
• DOI: 10.1007/s10198-013-0530-z

It is difficult to say how many people have died to date as a direct consequence of the shortage of suitable organs for transplantation Those needing solid organ transplantation who have not yet died a group composed overwhelmingly of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients receiving dialysis suffer greatly diminished qualities of life, face very uncertain futures, and require many billions of dollars or euros to support their treatment. This trifold crisis of cost, suffering, and death will in the absence of radical reform or spectacular science grow even worse in the years to come, presenting public health authorities and insurance funds with very difficult choices. The most extraordinary aspect of this entire issue, though, is that it has arisen as a direct consequence of our organ procurement policies and can therefore be fairly termed a disaster of our own making. Donor compensation is the single-most promising reform in organ procurement.