One of Britain's leading transplant surgeons has called for the legalisation of payment for kidney donations. Mr Nadey Hakim, a consultant general surgeon at St Mary's Hospital, London, who specialises in kidney transplantation, told BBC Radio Four's File on 4 programme last week that the current Human Organ Transplant Act merely drives patients to seek organs abroad, often leading to poor outcomes.

“As this trade is going on anyway, why not have a controlled trade where if someone wants to donate a kidney for a particular price, that would be acceptable?” said Mr Hakim. “If it's done safely the …