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There are undoubtedly new factors coming on stream that may increase
the risk of coercion, payment and reward to living kidney donors.
Whilst scrupulous study of each donor- recipient relationship is
necessary it will become more time- consuming and expensive and never be
100% successful.
Assuming the complete probity of NHS staff, the only method of
donating a kidney free from the above risks is non-directed altruistic
living donation. The donor has no idea to whom the transplant team will
allocate the kidney.
A campaign is needed to tell the public that any fit adult can offer
to donate a kidney.
If the current NHS and Social care Bill becomes law as it stands, no
vetting procedure will be safe as for-profit companies may well be running
the service.
Competing interests:
I am involved in campaigning to encourage altruistic kidney donation.
Human Tissue Authority worries and altruistic kdney donation.
There are undoubtedly new factors coming on stream that may increase
the risk of coercion, payment and reward to living kidney donors.
Whilst scrupulous study of each donor- recipient relationship is
necessary it will become more time- consuming and expensive and never be
100% successful.
Assuming the complete probity of NHS staff, the only method of
donating a kidney free from the above risks is non-directed altruistic
living donation. The donor has no idea to whom the transplant team will
allocate the kidney.
A campaign is needed to tell the public that any fit adult can offer
to donate a kidney.
If the current NHS and Social care Bill becomes law as it stands, no
vetting procedure will be safe as for-profit companies may well be running
the service.
Competing interests: I am involved in campaigning to encourage altruistic kidney donation.