The medical community is driven to produce a cure for sick individuals. Research is conducted through testing to come up with the right medications and treatment that will fight off an illness. The medical community uses organ donations from others to help cure people with organ failure. Organ transplant centers are located throughout the country where an individual is tested to determine the functioning level of their organ if it is in failure. However the individual who is in organ failure such as the liver, needs to meet certain criteria to be accepted on the donors list.
In getting a transplanted organ to save someone’s life there should be a just system of allocation which should be considered. The criteria that should be considered is if the patient smoked, drank alcohol excessively and has medical insurance. Realistically if the patient drand alcohol excessively in the past and smoked in the past he/she has stopped because of the illness. The individual are too sick to attempt these bad habits again. Most of the time a person will feel better where he has a new lease on life because the transplant has occurred. The patient is critically ill when an organ goes into failure. The body begins to change; to deteriorate. The patient will not desire tobacco or alcohol at his time. The body has detoxified from the alcohol and tobacco where a person may not want to taste it or smell it again. The National Kidney Foundation staff (2105) states “ As a transplant recipient know wha your risk factors are for developing heart and blood vessel disease… adapt healthy behaviors to modifry your risk factors.”
Medical insurance is a necessity because a transplant will not occur without it. The insurance can be privately funded or it can be Medicare that is provided through the federal government. Medical insurance also provides coverage for a living donor if there is a match. Also, the patient needs to be monitored throughout the rest of his/her life to maintain their health for the rest of their lives. Today organ transplants are expensive for the patient so medical insurance is necessary to cover the cost. If a person does not have insurance then it will not occur.
The items that should not be listed as a criteria is how rich the individual is, getting listed in several medical centers and already receiving one organ. If an individual already received in organ but his or her body rejected it that is beyond his or her control. There is a possibility that the patient will experience death from the transplant. The disease may recurr in the patient so he may need another organ. The individual should be eligible for an organ transplant in the future. The individual who is rich and should not receive any differential treatment than the average person. Each person is equal in the eyes of the medical community. Patients who need organ transplant applied to a national registrar for that specific organ so it does not matter what medical centers that he or she is registered at.
In conclusion when considering a patient for a possible organ transplant there should be a realistic considerations. Although it is recommended that the patient is in the best health at the time of surgery; it may not be possible. The patient is on a waiting list with other individuals who are in front of him because their need is greater. The patients that are critical receive the
organs first. Everyone is eligible to be a candidate based on their medical need. Finances prior Oregon’s and being listed in several medical centers is unrealistic as a criteria because the health of the patient comes first
- National Kidney Foundation Staff (2015). Key Points: About Kidney Transplantation. National Kidney Foundation. www.kidney.org
