Market for Kidneys... Guess Where?

I was both delighted and a bit surprised to read two items in the latest issue of The Economist (the Nov. 18-24 issue). The editorial on pg 15 is titled Psst, wanna buy a kidney? is available online.

As I've blogged before, the USA and the world desperately need to inject market forces -- including compensation for living donors -- to resolve the long list of people suffering and dying while waiting for a kidney transplant. The powers that be -- the federal government and the major Kidney organizations -- are against this, but their logic and ethics are horribly flawed.

Both of these items in the Economist are about a country that does have a kidney market... to an extent. And guess where that is? Yes, Iran of all places. So while there are few issues where I can say this, in this case I must say "Congratulations to Iran" for having something approaching a sensible, humane policy on the issue of kidney donations.

Here are a few interesting bits from the editorial and the article:

• Because people are living longer, the lines for people waiting for a kideny are lengthening fast -- 7% a year in America, where 4,039 people died waiting last year alone. The average waiting time in the US is now five years!
• In Iran, an officially approved patients' organization oversees transactions which pay $2,000 to $4,000 to the donor. The result is that the waiting list there has been eliminated.
• Having a kidney removed is as safe as commmon elective surgeries and even beauty treatments (it is no more dangerous than liposuction, for example). America already lets people buy babies from surrogate mothers, and the risk of dying from renting out your womb is six times higher than from selling a kidney.
• By keeping compensation for kidney donation (living or dead) illegal, there is no where near enough supply -- hence the long and growing waiting list. In addition, we see black markets with all the ills that often arise from them.