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Singapore considers paying expenses of kidney donors

NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Dec. 15, 2008

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Living kidney donors in Singapore would receive "comprehensive reimbursement" for expenses related to transplant surgery under legal changes proposed by Singapore's health minister, Khaw Boon Wan. Under the plan, donors would be reimbursed for transportation and medical costs for follow-up care, lost earnings and higher health insurance premiums, according to a health ministry advisory ethics committee report.

The aim is to make giving a kidney a financially neutral choice, the report says. Yet to be determined is how much could be offered without inducing people to take the medical risks associated with kidney donation, reported The Straits Times, Singapore's leading newspaper.

Last spring, 150 representatives from government, medical, scientific and ethical bodies around the world gathered in Turkey for a meeting convened by The Transplantation Society and the International Society of Nephrology. This group issued the "Istanbul Declaration," which encouraged policymakers to reimburse donors for costs but prohibit additional payment.

Iran is the only country to have a legal kidney donor compensation system. Iranian donors typically receive $3,500 to $5,700.

Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2008/12/15/prbf1215.htm.

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