By Caroline Song Healthcare professionals Network Live, HCPLive, recently published a piece by Gale Scott, on the current debate on the organ distribution process in the United States. The article titled, “Hot Debate on Organ Distribution Proposal” contained coverage from a forum held by the United Network for Organ Sharing, UNOS. The main point of [...]
By Abrigul Lutfalieva Pennsylvania legislators are currently considering two organ-transplant bills. If passed, Senate Bill 850 and House Bill 30 (which are basically identical according to their supporters) are expected to increase the number of organ donors. But a (hopefully unexpected) side-effect is that it might be “easier for murderers to avoid detection and prosecution.” [...]
By Zoe Martina Siegel According to the Global Industry Analysts (GIA), the number of organ transplant procedures performed globally is projected to reach 148,00 by the year 2020 for a number of reasons, including an aging population and the growing number of terminally ill patients. Medical and technological advancements have led to organ transplants becoming [...]
By Andrew Rock In this interview with The Daily Circuit, Ezekiel Emanuel, Professor of Medical Ethics and Health Policy at the University of Pennsylvania, discusses questions and considerations that arise when one asks one of the most important bioethical questions: With a scarcity of organs, how does one decide who receives priority? The current structures [...]
By Caroline Song The Hindu, an independent editorial, recently published an article that indicates that cadaveric donations could help alleviate the gap between organ supply and demand. The Hindu correspondent M. Vandhana spoke with Dr. Christopher Barry, a liver transplant surgeon who is currently working with the Multi Organ Harvesting Aid Network (MOHAN). According to [...]
By Kaitlyn Schaeffer If the Scots vote in favor of independence from the United Kingdom, Scottish patients currently on the waiting list for vital organ transplants might be sent to the back of the line. This would mean increased waiting times for people in need of heart, liver, and lung transplants. Department of Health officials [...]
By Zoe Martina Siegel In June 2011, Turkish doctor Yusuf Sonmez and his associate Moshe Harel were accused of trafficking in persons and organized crime by the EU rule-of-law mission in Kosovo. Operating out of Medicus clinic in Pristina, Dr. Sonmez, Harel, and other key players harvested and sold human kidneys. The buyers, often Israelis, [...]
By Andrew Rock Last month, Cambodian police shut down an organ trafficking ring that was operating out of a Cambodian military hospital. Nine people were arrested, including the hospital director, the deputy director, three Chinese-Vietnamese nationals, and a Chinese physician and professor who had worked as the group's consultant. In China, state-sanctioned organ harvesting is [...]
By Zoe Martina Siegel There is a push for greater knowledge regarding organ transplants and donation in Saudi Arabia. Abdul Aziz Al-Turki, the chairman of Ethar, reminded the public of how important these issues are: "A single brain-dead patient can save the lives of nine other patients who are in dire need of different vital [...]
By Abrigul Lutfalieva Face transplantation is an important recent development in reconstructive surgery for patients who have suffered the partial or whole loss of their face due to illness or injury. Recently, the Russian Health Ministry indicated that it will expand the list of transplantable body parts to enable face transplants. In anticipation of this [...]
