Perspectives of Nephrologists and Urologists on Financial Incentives for Altruistic Non-Directed Living Kidney Donors
F. Aziz1, B. Hafeeq1, J. C. Gopinathan1, R. Narayanan1, A. Krishnakumar1, N. A. Uvais.2
1Nephrology, Iqraa International Hospital and Research Centre, Calicut, India, 2Psychiatry, Iqraa International Hospital and Research Centre, Calicut, India
Meeting: 2020 American Transplant Congress
Abstract number: D-007
Keywords: Donors, unrelated, Kidney/liver transplantation, Psychosocial, Public policy
Session Information
Session Name: Poster Session D: Kidney Living Donor: Other
Session Type: Poster Session
Date: Saturday, May 30, 2020
Session Time: 3:15pm-4:00pm
Presentation Time: 3:30pm-4:00pm
Location: Virtual
*Purpose: Several strategies have been suggested to remove financial barriers that can arise from donating a kidney, including payment in the form of incentives, rewards or compensation. An Indian state recently proposed financial compensation for Altruistic Non-Directed Kidney donation (ANDK donation). However, debates are going on regarding the ethical aspects of such strategies. There is no data on opinions of transplant professionals in India about providing incentives, rewards or compensation to ANDK donors.
*Methods: Using a web-based survey, we explored the views of nephrologists and urologists working in India about financial incentives for ANDK donors in the form of reimbursement of expenses related to the donation and strategies which provide money to people in exchange for kidney-donation.
*Results: Responses were collected from 125 doctors (83.1% nephrologists; 16.9% urologists), 59.7% having 1-10 years of clinical practice and 83.9% perform transplantation. Regarding reimbursement of expenses related to the donation, acceptability rates were as; reimbursement of all expenses related to the donation (58.1%), reimbursement of all lost wages, regardless of income (9.7%), reimbursement of some of the expenses related to the donation (9%), reimbursement of some of the lost wages (2%), and not sure (3%). However, 20.2% found none of these strategies acceptable as they felt that donation should not involve any exchange of money (42.9%) and donation should be done from the goodness of one’s heart (30.6%). Regarding strategies which provide money to people in exchange for kidney donation, the following acceptability rate was found; government tax break or credit to the person after the kidney has been removed (43%), money provided directly to the person after the kidney has been removed (19%), and not sure (5.8%). However, 32.2% of the sample found none of these strategies acceptable because they felt that giving a kidney should not involve any exchange of money (58.3%), giving a kidney should be done from the goodness of one’s heart (23.3%), and people should not benefit from giving a kidney (10%).
*Conclusions: We conclude that a majority of the nephrologists and urologists favour financial incentives for ANDK donors, most agree with reimbursement of all expenses related to the donation and government tax break or credit to the person after the kidney donation.
To cite this abstract in AMA style:
Aziz F, Hafeeq B, Gopinathan JC, Narayanan R, Krishnakumar A, Uvais NA. Perspectives of Nephrologists and Urologists on Financial Incentives for Altruistic Non-Directed Living Kidney Donors [abstract]. Am J Transplant. 2020; 20 (suppl 3). https://atcmeetingabstracts.com/abstract/perspectives-of-nephrologists-and-urologists-on-financial-incentives-for-altruistic-non-directed-living-kidney-donors/. Accessed November 22, 2024.« Back to 2020 American Transplant Congress