Current Transplant Facts
The basis for Organomics' position advocating the introduction of incentives to increase living organ donation is based on an objective appraisal and analysis of the facts surrounding transplantation, including:
The number of people waiting for transplants is growing every year and now exceeds 100,000. Over 78,000 patients are currently waiting for a kidney transplant.- Despite the fact that there were a record 17,090 kidney transplants performed in 2006, the kidney transplant waiting list continues to grow.
- The average waiting period for a kidney transplant from a deceased donor is over 4 years.
- The average mortality of dialysis patients is approximately five years.
- Patients waiting for life-saving transplants will increasingly die before a deceased donor transplant becomes available.
- In spite of numerous initiatives intended to promote organ donation, the number of deceased donors totaled just 8024 in 2006. Not nearly enough to reduce the nearly 15,000 new additions to the transplant waiting list.
- Without an increase in the number of living organ donors, the transplant waiting list will continue to expand and thousands of patients will die needlessly.