Netherland announced a TV-show, in which three patients, who are waiting for a kidney, are competing for a kidney of a terminally ill patient.
It’s unfortunately a fact, that there is a huge shortage of organs in Europe and Switzerland. Every day there are people dying on the waiting list, which is a huge waste, and might be avoided with more solidarity from all of us.
Nevertheless, this fact doesn’t justify that people in need, and that’s what patients on a waiting list are, are beeing abused to increase the audience rate of a TV station.
Luckily our culture already outlaws such games, where it’s a matter of life and death, for a long time. To show off patients in need in a TV-show and playing for an organ of a terminally ill woman, seems to be impious and against every ethical codex.
Do any of such events support the transplantation medicine, particularly with regard to donor willingness? We don’t think so.Until now, within whole Europe, the organs are allocated by specific criteria, like fairness and medical benefit. Patients who are already a long time on the waiting list and patients who urgently need an organ, definitely have priority in this comprehensive body of legislation. Furthermore, anonimity and the priciple of free of charge, have been accepted worldwide for organdonation.
Organs can only be accepted, if immunological factors, age and weight are compatible with the recipient.Therefore a medical evaluation is a must. The data between donor and recipient needs to be compared to get the best suitable “Match”, to achieve a successful transplantation.
That’s a very serious issue, where a great medical knowledge is a must.
A TV-show like this gives the impression, that transplantation medicine is a game, which is definitely nor true neither the case. We do hope, that the sanity turns back and that this show won’t be copied for any reason.
Otherwise there is a risk, that if we don’t defend our values, we will quickly loose them and will risk to loose our basic rights during emergency situations.
Do we want to support patients who need an organ? If yes, we can fill out a donorcard, always keep it on us and inform our families.
Swisstransplant
Conrad E. Müller, MD, MBA
Director