Angry Doc and I had a discussion on many issues over the weekend, especially the on-going debate on organ trading.
I personally believe that there is no good reason to prevent organ trading, provided the transaction is carried out within a well-defined framework. Why should anyone die on the waiting list because his family and friends are not equipped with a compatible kidney? Reduced family size in such cases drastically decreases the odds of finding a match. And facebook friends ain't all kidney-donating potential, if you know what I mean...
On top of willing buyer and seller, these 2 parties ought to be fully informed of the risks involved. And the best party to be playing referee is the State. Because it is highly efficient and good at rationalising the necessary. MOH can set up a whole new statutory board for this. Or should this be under MTI?
I hate to use the term 'hub', but we might just become the world's first legitimate organ replacement hub. 0_O
First Mover Advantage.
Will we draw flak from human right activists?
Yes.
If their kidneys fail, will they come get their body parts replaced here?
Yes.
Will we save lives?
Yes.
I hear that 1 out of 10 kidney recipients will need a new one in 5 years. Just think about the recurrent demand.
A catalyst for our biotech dream.
No need to try to discover the next big thing.
Angry was saying... If so, he's gonna set up the KTF.
Kidney Transplant Foundation.
To ensure that the not-so-well-off can also have access to a replacement kidney.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
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7 comments:
Is the State truly a good party to be a referee? In an ideal country, yes. Since no country is ideal, I do not think letting the State act as referee is safe. Would this referee come free? If not, how much is the tax? 20%? Another 20% for with-holding tax when seller / buyer is a foreigner?
Hub for organ trade? Sigh, no. In a trade of organs, the poor will never have the chance for himself to enjoy a better life, only a chance to redeem his family from poverty. I do not think the State has the moral capacity to play this referee of fate.
I'm not against the idea of organ trade, but I just can't think of a good framework for it.
Kudos to Angry
From my layman's point of view, it seems to me the problem will be in the high cost of the kidney. Kidneys are presumably in high demand but short supply.
Even if opening up the organ market were to increase supply, the fact that each person only has two kidneys AND bears risks once it is removed means that the price of the organ bought from the living will be costly.
Those for organ trade will say that this is good for the poor who want to sell their kidney, for the kidney-less person who wants to buy and can afford it, and for supply and demand in general. But what of the poor person who wants to buy a kidney that could cost in the tens of thousands? I'm not sure if the kidneys coming from deceased people would be any much cheaper.
One alternative would be to have an open market system for people who want to sell their kidneys to the highest bidder; and a separate queue system like we already have for kidneys harvested from the deceased. But this would require more regulation.
Organ trading is for the RICH.
If you are poor and need an organ, you deserve to die?
If you are poor and need money, sell a piece of you for money?
If you are healthy in a poor corrupted country, will there be justice if someone just rob a piece of you for trade? - ok, redundant since it is already happening.
It is more than just saving life.
Thank you.
Please donate generously to KTF... and my Golden Tap! Muhahahahaha!
Read somewhere that iran(or is it iraq) legalise kidney(or organ) trading but still w/o ideal results.
Maybe focus should be placed on other avenues rather than organ trading? Encourage transplants from relatives, some regulations to increase sources of kidneys(which I think is happening by including Muslims into HOTA) OR punish rapists by taking one of their kidneys (just joking!)
mmm, i tend to agree with legalization. like abortion, there are more risks if it's illegal and ppl do it in the black market, where there are no safe-guards, no sanitation, no protection. Legalizing doesn't always mean promoting. rather, can be a means to protect people who can be exploited in such trades.
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