Ireland: Shortage of good donors cuts kidney transplants

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Shortage of good donors cuts kidney transplants

By Fiona Dillon
Saturday December 27 2008

The number of kidney transplants carried out this year looks set to be down on last year's figure due to a lack of suitable donors.

About 140 transplants will be carried out this year, compared with 146 last year, according to Mark Murphy, chief executive of the Irish Kidney Association.

Nine of the operations done so far this year have been living donor transplant operations, compared to five last year.

There are around 500 people on the waiting list for a kidney transplant in Ireland. Some have been on the list for more than two years.

And it can take up to two years to get on to the waiting list, said Mr Murphy.

opportunities

A 12-month audit of intensive care units had been carried out to see if opportunities to obtain donor organs were being lost.

Mr Murphy said he was expecting to see the results of this audit soon. It was conducted on behalf of an HSE and Department of Health working group set up to look into all aspects of organ donation and transplantation, he said.

Meanwhile in Ireland in recent years, there has been a natural growth in the number of people with failed kidneys. An increase in cases of diabetes has seen an increase in the amount of people with kidney failure, he said.

In addition, the number of consultant nephrologists has risen from just nine to 21 meaning that there is increased diagnosis.

- Fiona Dillon

http://www.herald.ie/national-news/shortage-of-good-donors-cuts-kidney-transplants-1586488.html