ECONOMIC, ETHICAL AND LEGAL ISSUES IN KIDNEY TRANSPLANTATION

摘要

In the international literature, the pros and cons of renal transplantation are analyzed incomparison to performing hemodialysis over a long time; compatible living donor renaltransplantation has the best impact on increasing the length and quality of life. The World HealthOrganization recently draws attention to the issue of illegal organ trafficking for profit (for example,China, with organs taken from politically executed prisoners in Tianjin Hospital and the sect namedFalung Gong). It highlights the importance of medical tourism for kidney transplantation in countriessuch as India, China, Korea etc. due to substantial savings that can be made for beneficiaries from theUnited States and the Western of Europe, who receive “cheap” (trafficked) organs and with a lowcost of the surgical interventions and of the post-transplant care. On specialized websites on theInternet there are given a series of comparative costs of organ trafficking in different countries andaddresses of hospitals that perform such surgeries.