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Hospitals facing ban on organ donations to foreign patients
Anna Davis11.03.09
Hospitals could be banned from giving organs from British donors to foreign patients, it emerged today.
Health Secretary Alan Johnson announced a review of the rules which have allowed hundreds of organs to be transplanted into people who live abroad.
Despite a severe shortage of organs for transplant in Britain, about 700 foreign patients have undergone transplant operations in NHS hospitals in the last decade. Nearly 8,000 people are on NHS waiting lists for a transplant.
Mr Johnson ordered the review to make sure "the needs of UK patients are met". He said: "Organ donation is one of medicine's great success stories, transforming thousands of lives each year. We want to enable as many UK nationals as possible who need new organs to have that life-saving or life-enhancing transplant. We are aware that some people resident in other countries within the European Union needing transplants are being referred to the UK. This had led to accusations of priority being given to non-UK patients. We want to optimise the availability of organs for NHS patients and ensure public confidence in the fairness and transparency of organ allocation."
Elisabeth Buggins, who will lead the review, said: "It is important to be able to build the confidence of the public in the integrity of the systems that determine how organs are allocated."
In the past two years British organs have been given to 40 patients from Greece and Cyprus as well as a number from Libya, the United Arab Emirates, China and Israel. Most of the operations took place at King's College hospital, the Royal Free hospital and Leeds teaching hospital.
Greek patient Elena Maniati, who underwent a liver transplant at the Royal Free in Hampstead in 2005, said: "My life was saved by a liver given to me by one of your people in Britain. The doctors who carried out my transplant are the closest beings to God."
Mrs Maniati moved from Greece to live in Britain for a year while waiting for a liver to become available. The Greek government paid £50,000 for the operation.
Professor Nadey Hakim, surgical director of Imperial College healthcare's transplant unit, hailed the review as "great news" and said: "We cannot offend the rest of Europe, but at the same time patients on UK waiting lists should be given priority, because the reverse would never happen.
"The UK is a very open and generous society and with hospitals like King's College and the Royal Free we are the leaders of Europe."
A spokesman for the Royal Free said: "We welcome the review and the opportunity to clarify the issues."
Tim Smart, chief executive of King's College hospital, said: "We hope it will bring clarity to this complex and emotive issue."
Reader views (8)
Those of you who are going to tear up their donor cards or not bother carrying one - WELL DONE!! That's REALLY going to help isn't it?
- Collette, London, W10
Europe comes in and gets free NHS for all and education for their children. Our hospitals are in a mess! And our own hospitals sell organs while poor, sick Brits go to an early grave.
I am disgusted. Have we Brits no rights left? Have we Brits no dignity left, shamed before the world for not taking care of our own?
- Maria, London
The simple answer to the severe shortage of organs for transplantaion is ot educate the public to donate organs.
- Herbert Henry, Kingston, Jamaica
another reason NOT to carry an organ donor card >>> it wont even go to a desperate british patient...shameful that the NHS sells peoples organs donated in good faith
- Liza, SW London
I will tear up my donor card if the law is not changed to give priority to people who have lived and worked in Britain and have contributed to the health service by paying taxes.
- Celiad, London, UK
As a renal patient on dialysis 3 times a week for 4 hrs each session and waiting for a transplant, this is great news.
- Arif, England
Very bad to ban, medically speaking. The better the match between donor and recipient, the better the chance of the recipient not rejecting the organ. Better to set up a register, to make sure that UK-donated organs are sent abroad only on the same scale as they are donated to us from abroad.
- Nigel, London
If any foreigner has not paid into the system I believe they should not be allowed to have any treatment befor a national of this country.
- Jan, Rye England
