Money For Transplant Organs A Bad Idea

The Brits are debating whether to pay or compensate for organs for transplantation. Here’s someone who thinks its a bad idea, for just about all the obvious reasons.

Consultant says organ donors should not receive money

A leading consultant at Northampton General Hospital has rejected proposals that could see people paid to donate their organs. Nuffield Council of Bioethics launched a consultation this week to look for ethical ways to encourage people to sign up to the donor register and meet the urgent need for donations.

It asks if people should be paid, given priority on the donor waiting list or have their funeral paid for in exchange for donating or be willing to donate organs.

In the last four years 18 people have died waiting for organ transplants in Northampton and currently 99 people in the county are waiting anxiously for a donation.

Dr Nazrudeen Ali, a consultant in NGH's Intensive Care Unit, said: "If we begin to pay for organ donations then we start to forget about personal wishes and what the patient really wants. It could also encourage people to lie about their medical history. more