ALTRUISTIC OR LIVING ORGAN AND TISSUE DONATION
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LIVING KIDNEY DONATION
Who can become a live donor?
Most living organ donors are relatives of a person receiving the transplant (e.g. parent, brother or sister). Recent advances in medicine have now made it possible for people not related, to donate to the person who needs a transplant (e.g. spouse, partner or friend). Living donation by a relative or friend is called a live directed donation.
If thinking of making a living donation discuss this with your GP to assess how this may affect your individual health.
Living donation can also be non-directed
Donations of bone marrow by volunteers are a common form of this type of donation. Non-directed kidney donation is a new practice worldwide. It is still rare in Australia and is only possible at some Australian hospitals. In these cases, a person decides to donate a kidney to help whoever is on the waiting list. The donor has no say in who will or will not receive the kidney. Care is taken to protect the privacy of this type of donor.
Can I donate my kidney to a stranger?
Non-directed live donation means being a live kidney donor to a complete stranger. Someone donates a kidney and allows it to be transplanted to the most suitable recipient on the waiting list. This is a very serious decision - you may need to talk about it with your family, friends, GP, renal transplant nurse, social worker or counsellor. Policies and guidelines are currently being developed in some states of Australia.
Can I buy or sell a kidney?
No - Trade in human organs and tissue is illegal in Australia and also ethically unacceptable. Anyone involved would face criminal charges. The illegal buying of organs overseas raises the risks of recipients contacting blood born diseases, complications, or even death.
DonateLife™ Australian Government Initiative www.donatelife.gov.au
ask you to DISCOVER - DECIDE - DISCUSS
- Discover the facts about organ and tissue donation
- Make an informed choice and Decide about becoming a donor
Discuss your decision with family and friends
DonateLife offer a range of further information for your consideration:
*Australian Paired Kidney Exchange Agreement to Participate *Information for patients and willing living donors
*Questions and answers on live donation or Australian Organ Donor Register or call 1800 777 203
What is the Australian Paired Kidney Exchange Program (AKX)?
The Australian paired Kidney eXchange Program (AKX) is a nationwide live kidney donor exchange program. The goal of this program is to increase live kidney donor transplants by helping incompatible donor-recipient pairs. Participants in this program include individuals who wish to donate a kidney to a known potential recipient at an Australian transplant centre, such as a partner, family member or close friend, but cannot do so because of an incompatible blood type or tissue match, or other incompatibility.
This program seeks to identify donor-recipient pairs in the same situation and to organise an exchange of the donors’ kidneys to achieve two compatible transplantations. It has been established to help find another registered pair who might be a match with you and your donor. By exchanging donors, two compatible matches would be created. A recipient may only enter the program if they have one (or more) willing but incompatible donor/s. A recipient alone may not enter the Program. Non-directed (altruistic) kidney donors, who wish to give a kidney to any suitably matched recipient on the waiting list, may have their kidney allocated to an individual in this living transplant program.
Can Donors and Recipients Meet?
Sharing information and meeting your donor or recipient can cause problems even if there are good medical results. Therefore the AKX program protects the anonymity of donor and recipient pairs. Strict privacy and confidentiality is therefore maintained for each donor/recipient pair. It is not possible for staff involved in the Program to facilitate meeting of donors and recipients after the transplants.
What costs are involved?
There is no cost to you for participating in the Program, although you may need to consider sick leave if you are employed as you will need to take time off work. This should be discussed with your transplant centre. No payments can be charged, or paid to you for donating a kidney or participating in the Program, and there is no compensation available if a planned exchange does not go ahead. Reimbursement of reasonable medical expenses can be obtained in most States. This should be discussed with your transplant centre.
Live Kidney Donor - Travel Reimbursement Scheme
The West Australian Country Health Service (WACHS) via its Patient Assisted Travel Scheme (PATS) will reimburse reasonable travel expenses incurred by suitable donors travel, to assist WA permanent residents to participate in their live kidney donation program.
This program reimburses costs of travel to Perth for kidney donation assessment, retrieval and one-post operative visit (if not possible through Telehealth). Costs for medical tests, hospital accommodation and medical specialist appointments are met by the tertiary hospital coordinating the live kidney donation. Refer to Regional WACHS map and Regional Offices and contact details.
Queries to:- Australian Paired Kidney eXchange Program
Attention: Program Co-ordinator, Department of Nephrology - Fremantle Hospital
PO Box 480, FREMANTLE WA 6160
Claudia.Woodroffe@health.wa.gov.au or call Claudia on 08 9431 3690
Saving Josh - a story about his life changing Paired eXchange Program
View archived story from Channel 9's A Current Affair
Nine-year-old Josh McDonald, one of many Kidney Kids waiting for a transplant, broke hearts earlier this year with his tearful plea to become a normal little boy. Josh desperately needed a kidney and thanks to the extraordinary Australian kidney exchange program, he has a new shot at life.
Recommended reading and references
UPDATED 25 JANUARY 2012
Disclaimer: This information is intended as a general introduction to this topic and is not meant to substitute your doctor's or health professional's advice. All care is taken to ensure information is relevant and applicable to each Australian state. It should be noted Kidney Health Australia recognises each person's experience is individual and variations do occur in treatment and management due to personal circumstances. Should you require further info always consult your doctor or health professional.