Would you sell your kidney for $10K?
Thousands of Canadians are waiting for a kidney transplant and many will die without getting one. Is it time to start paying people to donate organs?
Dr. Braden Manns at the University of Calgary worked on a study that predicted a $10,000 payment would increase the number of donations.
"We've looked at the economics and even if you paid all the organ donors who came forward you would still save money. Patients would win and potentially the health care system could afford it," he told CBC's Maritime Noon.
He said studies show public support for the idea. It could save money by reducing expensive dialysis treatment. It would also greatly improve the quality of life for people requiring dialysis, a difficult and time-consuming treatment.
Manns was part of a group of doctors in Alberta who proposed the change in a study published in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.
He said more studies need to be done into a regulated system permitting payment for organs.
Could payment cut donations?
Matthew Herder is an assistant professor in the faculties of medicine and law at Dalhousie University and a member of the Health Law Institute.
He said the status quo is not acceptable, but that paying for kidneys could unfairly target low-income people and compel them to sell a kidney out of desperation.
"You might exploit people," he said.
He added that payment might actually drive away those willing to donate out of altruism and reduce the total number of kidneys available for transplant.
He based that on some studies showing voluntary blood donation systems can be superior to paid ones.
Currently, there is no compensation for organ donors in Canada, but donors can be reimbursed for their expenses.