Organ transplantation is a lifesaver for millions of people in need.
Unfortunately, most patients do not manage to wait for the life-saving turn. As the law of the market says: if there is demand, there will be supply. Meanwhile, there are hundreds of thousands of people all over the world who want to profitably sell part of their own body in order to earn good money. The most popular donor organ is the human kidney. According to statistics, for every ten thousand inhabitants, 5 of them are born with a single kidney. Many people sometimes have no idea about this pathology. By and large, this fact does not threaten human life. One should lead a healthy lifestyle so that everything functions well. But, unfortunately, not everyone is lucky. What to do when an organ transplant is immediately required? Where to run? How much does the treasured salvation cost? Where can I find a donor? This is the main problem, given that in our country there are a huge number of people who want to sell their own organ.
Indications for kidney transplant
The main and most common indication for an operation such as kidney transplantation is end-stage renal failure, both acute and chronic.
Various reasons lead to such defeat:
- severe dehydration or significant blood loss;
- various kidney infections;
- arterial hypertension;
- autoimmune diseases such as Volzhanka;
- diabetes;
- polycystic kidney disease and its various defects, tumors;
- atherosclerosis of the blood vessels of the kidneys;
- as well as kidney stones.
How much will a kidney donor receive?
And although the transplant operation itself is an expensive procedure, the cost of which ranges from several tens to several hundred thousand dollars, the kidney donor himself receives an amount several times, or even tens of times, less than the full cost of the operation.
So in Russia, the cost of a kidney, namely the amount that the patient will receive in person, is 3-5 thousand dollars. The price may vary greatly depending on the region of residence. The highest prices are naturally in Moscow. Here, under successful circumstances, you can even get up to $10,000 for your organ.
The lowest prices in remote provinces. Due to the low standard of living and low wages, or even unemployment, many are ready to part with their organ for a ridiculous amount of 30-50 thousand rubles.
If you look at third world countries, the largest number of people who want to get money for a piece of their flesh are again in India and Pakistan. The asking price is about $1,000 per kidney . And despite the fact that supply far exceeds demand.
Contraindications for kidney transplantation
Contraindications in this case are divided into absolute and relative. The first are various concomitant lesions and diseases of other organs, which are identified during preparatory diagnostic measures. The second are uncontrolled diabetes, as well as viral infections such as end-stage liver disease or hepatitis C.
One of the most important conditions for a successful kidney transplant is the compatibility of the donor and recipient in terms of blood type and the tissues themselves. The higher the compatibility, the lower the risk of donor organ rejection. By the way, how long they live after a kidney transplant also depends on this.
How much does a human kidney cost?
Almost all over the world, including in Russia, the purchase and sale of kidneys is criminally punishable. So in the USA, such acts are punishable by a substantial fine of 20-50 thousand and imprisonment from 5 to 10 years. But nevertheless, business is booming.
Thus, in some countries, such as India and Pakistan, the government turns a blind eye and practically does not persecute those who want to sell or buy kidneys. Due to the low standard of living, the population is practically lining up to give up their kidney. This is what dealers and all kinds of intermediary companies take advantage of.
In Pakistan, for example, you can easily find clinics providing similar services. So-called “donor farms” have been developed here, where people live who have undergone a full medical examination and are found suitable for transplantation. They live in special territories, in comfortable conditions. They are provided with adequate nutrition and rehabilitation after surgery. The future client in need of a transplant will pay for all this.
Kidney transplantation: progress of the operation
The course of such an operation as a kidney transplant involves general anesthesia, as well as incisions in the abdominal wall above the groin - on the right and left. Next, a pre-prepared donor organ is placed in the lower segment of the abdominal cavity and the vessels of this organ are connected to the corresponding vessels of the recipient. Then, after blood flow has been restored in the new kidney, it should begin to filter the blood, releasing metabolic products, as it should.
The operation itself lasts approximately 4 hours. And the success rate depends largely on whether the donor was a relative or not. If yes, then the success rate is equal to 90%.
Where to buy and sell a kidney
Unfortunately, it is impossible to do this directly, much less officially, due to current legislation. The law prohibits receiving financial compensation for donating a kidney.
To find a buyer, I use the following schemes:
- directly contact relatives or the patient himself who needs a transplant. But the biggest problem here is the issue of compatibility. And for a kidney to suit a person, it is necessary to spend a sufficient amount of time.
- searching for those interested through intermediaries. As a rule, they already have a database of people both looking for donors and wanting to become one. And you can quickly choose the most suitable option for yourself. But here your final amount will be greatly reduced, due to the fact that the intermediary takes part of the amount received. It all depends on his appetites. Sometimes the final donor receives only 20-30% of the contract amount.
But here you need to understand that all the risks associated with receiving monetary rewards are especially high. Thus, there are often cases when donors, after the operation, were left without any money at all, or with a small amount they received as a deposit. And in the future, it is almost impossible to demand the return of the remuneration due, because all conditions are negotiated purely verbally without signing any official documents.
Don't want to lose your organs? Become a blood donor and make money from it, without compromising your health.
Best clinics for kidney transplant
Donor organ transplantation is a rather serious intervention, especially in terms of minimizing the risks of rejection as much as possible. That is why it is important to choose not only a donor, but also a clinic along with a specialist who will carry out the transplantation responsibly. The following clinics can be proud of good results today:
- MEMORIAL – Türkiye, Istanbul;
- CHARITE – Germany, Berlin;
- MEDICANA – Türkiye, Istanbul;
- ASSUTA EXPRESS MEDICAL – Israel, Tel Aviv.
Countries where kidney transplants are treated and performed
Today, Turkey is the leader in organ transplantation. However, there are other countries where quite good indicators are recorded. The rating is:
- Switzerland, Germany;
- Israel, Finland;
- Türkiye, South Korea.
Note that the cost of a kidney transplant depends on the country in which the operation is performed.
How much does a kidney transplant cost?
So, kidney transplant prices vary. It all depends on a large number of factors - the stage of damage to the recipient’s organ, the need to perform additional surgical procedures, and the pricing policy of a particular clinic. The average cost of an initial consultation is:
- South Korea (consultation with a transplantologist from 70 USD);
- Türkiye (consultation with a transplantologist 80-140 USD);
- Switzerland (consultation with a transplantologist from 400 USD);
- Israel (consultation with a transplantologist from 350 USD);
- Germany (consultation with a transplantologist from 400 USD).
Today, jokes about selling kidneys in the style of “How can a person with two kidneys say that he does not have money for a gift?” are very popular. In reality, trade in internal organs is a rather complex area, which has its own characteristics and rules controlled by law. Approximate prices and basic conditions for a human kidney transplant will be discussed in this article.
The cost of a human kidney is of interest to many people today. The fact is that some people believe that such a “deal” will give them the opportunity to solve certain pressing problems and make good money. In reality, everything is not as simple as it seems. The official sale of internal organs is prohibited in our country and is unlikely to be legalized for at least another decade.
Types of transplantation:
- autotransplantation, or autologous transplantation - the recipient of the transplant is its donor for himself. For example, autotransplantation of skin from undamaged areas to burned areas is widely used for severe burns. Autotransplantation of bone marrow or hematopoietic stem cells after high-dose antitumor chemotherapy is widely used for leukemia, lymphomas and chemosensitive malignant tumors.
- isotransplantation, or isogenic transplantation - the transplant donor is the recipient's identical twin who is completely genetically and immunologically identical to the recipient.
- allotransplantation, or homotransplantation - the transplant donor is a genetically and immunologically different human organism.
- xenotransplantation, or interspecies transplantation - organ transplantation from an animal of another biological species
PRICES IN RUSSIA AND IN THE WORLD
This state of affairs is observed not only in Russia, but also in the case of the overwhelming majority of civilized and developed countries. The only exception is Iran, where the sale of internal organs is permitted at the state level under the control of relevant medical institutions. This is the only country that today allows their trade under a contractual transplantation program.
If we assume that the sale of kidneys would be allowed in the territory of our state, then the cost of the organ would be more than one and a half million rubles. In dollars, the cost of a human kidney starts at 25 thousand. However, it is also necessary to take into account the costs of surgical intervention, that is, the transplantation itself, including postoperative monitoring. The procedure in rubles can cost 1,400,000. It turns out that a person in need of a kidney will spend more than three million rubles on a kidney transplant.
On black markets the prices are slightly different. Here, the cost of a human kidney starts at approximately 15 thousand dollars. In addition, sometimes a trip to Iran with hotel accommodation and a rehabilitation period can be paid for. However, in such situations, relying only on luck is extremely dangerous, because transplantation is carried out mainly by self-taught specialists. Without government control, you can only count on illegal transactions, which means that no one can guarantee a successful outcome.
TRANSPLANTATION IN RUSSIA
In our country, a kidney transplant is possible only in the following cases: • When the kidney is completely compatible with the body of the person to whom it will be transplanted. For this purpose, special studies are carried out over several days. • When permission for donation is discovered in cases of death. • If the organ donor is a relative of the patient. • If the donor gives formal consent. Moreover, in the event of death, his relatives have the right to challenge such a decision.
STATISTICS
Data analyzed from 2008 onwards for 104 countries, representing almost 90% of the total population, concluded that 100,800 solid organ transplants are performed annually worldwide: 69,400 kidney transplants (46% from lifetime donors), 20,200 liver transplants (14.6% of lifetime donors), 5,400 heart transplants, 3,400 lung transplants, and 2,400 pancreas transplants. Although some data do not represent all deceased donor transplant data, information regarding approximately 22,400 deceased donors is also reported to GODT. These countries account for the largest number of donation and transplantation programs:
African region: 10 countries Americas region: 21 countries European region: 40 countries Eastern Mediterranean region: 12 countries Western Pacific region: 12 countries South-East Asia region: 9 countries.
Text / Andrey Karaim / Photo / shutterstock.com
Life with a kidney transplant
After successful completion of the operation, the patient will need to endure a rehabilitation period. During this time, the transplanted kidney will take root and begin to function normally.
The transplanted internal organ will not affect your health in any way. It won't be difficult to return to your previous actions. In addition, organ transplantation will not affect pregnancy or the development of the child.
For men, the transplant will not interfere with conceiving children or continuing a normal lifestyle. Difficulties are mainly observed in the first weeks after the end of the operation. At the end of the rehabilitation period, all vital functions return to normal, which allows you to lead a comfortable and fulfilling life.
