Steve Jobs had a liver transplant but it unraveled the flaws in Organ Transplant System
It is the geographic division that came in the forefront when Steve Jobs CEO of Apple got operated for liver transplant when he flew from California to Memphis. What does the geographic division of liver transplant means? It simply highlights the fact that a patient who has only few months to live can be denied a liver while a healthier person can get a liver transplant just because he is in a position to fly.
It is in Memphis that the lists for liver transplant patients are shorter than that in California. The organ sharing network divides US into 11 regions and according to a rule most livers are allocated by using MELD (Model for end stage liver disease) system. MELD assigns scores to liver functions and overall health. Higher scores in the range of 6 to 40 imply those patients get priority to receiving a liver.
In the year 2008, about 17,000 American patients were on the list of liver transplant but only 6000 were lucky to get them. It is the organ system’s regional disparities on the access of liver are highly criticized by many doctors.
The patients who can fly get themselves enlisted at multiple transplant centers in an attempt to get the liver transplantation done quickly by increasing the chances of receiving the organ. There is a need to change the local and regional organ distributing system.
The case of Steve Jobs only highlighted the issue of DISPARITY!!!
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June 30th, 2009 at 7:18 pm
I am surprised to know that something like this exists for liver transplant. I dont know what made them arrive on the decision of taking away a hope of life from people who have fewer days to live. I am astonished to know that this prevails in US, a place where people say human life is valued the most.
July 1st, 2009 at 12:46 am
There’s one question that nobody seems to be asking about Steve Jobs and his liver transplant: is Steve Jobs a registered organ donor?
It’s not fair to give an organ to a non-donor as long as there is a donor who needs it. But about 50% of the organs transplanted in the United States go to people who haven’t agreed to donate their own organs when they die. It’s no wonder there’s such a large organ shortage. If organs were allocated first to organ donors, more people would agree to donate and fewer people would die waiting for transplants.
Anyone who would like to donate their organs to other organ donors can join LifeSharers at http://www.lifesharers.org or by calling 1-888-ORGAN88. Membership is free. There is no age limit, parents can enroll their minor children, and no one is excluded due to any pre-existing medical condition.