Transplant procedures are among the most expensive operations any patient could need. Improving and saving lives is a vocation for many across the world, but limitations in funds and resources mean that so many face long and difficult periods of waiting.
Below, we look at why transplants place such a financial burden on individuals and organisations across the globe – and what is being done about it.
A Lack of Viable Organs
Most organs used in transplants come from organ donation when people pass away. However, many countries are still to introduce an opt-out system that creates automatic organ donation when someone dies unexpectedly, and this often results in a lack of viable organs for patients in need. With so few organs available, many people who need to get these life-changing surgeries can find a match.
This is especially true for corneal transplants. For those who suffer from corneal blindness, a transplant can be one of the best options for a cure. However, the cornea is something that is often not donated. Luckily, charities like those run by Samantha Payne and Tej Kohli are working hard to find viable replacements that could make all the difference. If there is a cheaper way to get around these surgeries, it will free up the transplant list for those who truly need it.
Specialised Surgeries
With every operation, a surgeon undertakes one of the most difficult and life changing missions this world has ever seen; the level of finesse required to become a surgeon is unimaginable to anyone who has never stepped foot in an operating room.
On top of this specialism, a transplant surgeon needs to excel yet again. Being able to make the delicate connections needed to implant a foreign organ into a body and get it working is incredibly difficult. They need to be able to keep the organ itself in perfect condition throughout the procedure and ensure that everything is in good working order once it has been placed in its new body. As one can imagine, this skill set is rare even amongst highly accomplished surgeons. This lack of expertise is one factor that drives the price up, as these top tier surgeons are not able to take on every case that passes by them.
Recovery Time
Part of the big expense of transplants is not just the surgery itself but also the recovery time that follows. When you add together time for pre-op appointments, a stay in hospital, post-op appointments, and any other care you might need, you could be looking at a medical bill in the thousands.
Drugs that are crucial to helping the organ adapt to the new body are expensive, and small short-term changes like post-op recovery may put the patient out of work for a while. Unless a way can be found to support patients and their families during a transplant, this procedure is always going to be expensive.
Transplants are incredibly costly but it is for good reason. It is a true marvel of modern medicine that we are able to perform transplants. The doctors, surgeons, and scientists who help to make this possible should be celebrated as we search for new avenues that could make this procedure that little bit cheaper for all who need it.
Important Things You Should Know about Organ Transplants
You now understand the reason why transplant is so expensive. However, money is not the only thing important about this amazing medical opportunity. Some people are afraid to decide on this move because of a lack of information. Fortunately, you came to the right place to get familiar with the entire subject.
How to Find a Donor?
Before everything, you should know that there are two types of donors. The first option that you have is to get an organ from a living donor. Logically, you can’t get all the organs that our organism contains. In this case, a living donor can donate a lung, kidney, and a portion of the pancreas. Logically, the donor needs to be healthy as well as the organs he is donating.
On the other hand, the second option is to get the necessary organ from the deceased donor. In that case, the person agrees while it is still alive to donate two kidneys and lungs, pancreas, corneas, and heart. Additionally, they can agree to donate body tissue like tendons, skin, or heart valves. The medical field experienced some changes back in 2014. Since then, donating face and hands also became available to people.
After we made that part clear, let’s get to a point. Finding a donor can last for a different period. In some cases, you might need to wait for months. Logically, selling and buying organs on your own is illegal. Because of that, we want to highlight two completely legal options.
The first option you have is to get on the transplant list. As we said, it might happen that you will wait for weeks or months in that case. On the other hand, you can find a donor alone. In that case, the donor of the organs usually is a family member or a friend. You might find some people that are willing to donate an organ to people that they don’t know. It might seem unrealistic to you, but some people promote themselves as donors on social media as well. For them, it is irrelevant who will get their healthy organ.
Benefits of Organ Transplant
It is hard to define the benefits you can potentially get from the organ transplant. It depends a lot on the organ that you receive and your overall health. However, we do need to highlight some of them. We believe they will be inspirational for you and you might change your way of thinking.
First of all, avoiding medical procedures is usually the number one benefit. For instance, dialysis is something you can avoid. Despite that, people with particular health issues know how tough it can be to lead a painful life. The only thing those people want is to feel good once again without any sense of pain. Fortunately, organ transplant can assure you that. You can replace your sick organ with a healthy one and continue living your life healthier.
In the end, the days of a sick person are almost identical. They often need to go to a hospital to control their health. Despite that, each day they need to use different medicines which can become annoying over time. Avoiding a few surgeries and taking fewer medications is something you can expect to get after organ transplant ends. You can organize your day differently and continue to enjoy your life as before.
