Is Kidney Trading the Answer for Kidney Shortage? A Case Study Based on Iran’s Experience

Abstract

Kidney transplantation has been demonstrated to be the treatment of choice for end stage renal disease. However, most patients still end up receiving dialysis rather than receiving transplantation for the kidney as the organ source is fairly limited in most countries. We therefore explore the case of Iran where kidney trading is considered legal. As of now, Iran is also the only country worldwide that allows monetary compensation for kidney donation, whereas there are rules to refrain its abuse. We also discuss the strength and weakness of Iran’s kidney trading system and the applicability of the system to other countries to hopefully help reduce the kidney shortage in organ donation.