Kidney patients face waiting game for transplants

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Wed, 10/18/2006 10:35 AM  |  Life

Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

There are two treatment options for people with kidney failure -- either hemodialysis or having a kidney transplant. There are pluses and minuses to both options.

If the patient chooses hemodialysis, they must be ready for regular treatment.

Some patients have it twice a week, others every five days, depending on the condition of their kidneys.

For patients who do not want to be going in and out of the hospital, a kidney transplant might be the best option.

""The life expectancy of patients who have a transplant is much better than those who choose hemodialysis. Besides which, those who have a kidney transplant are not dependent on hospitals,"" said Indrawati Sukadis, the coordinator of the kidney transplant team at PGI Cikini hospital, during a recent seminar.

A transplant is usually suggested if a patient's kidney function has decreased to less than 10 percent.

While hemodialysis costs about Rp 62 million (US$6,700) a year, a patient will spend between Rp 70 million and Rp 150 million on a kidney transplant.

In Indonesia, the organ donor usually has a blood relationship with the patient, including parents, children or siblings. However, a donor could be an individual with no blood relationship, including a spouse or close friend.

The donor must have a similar blood type, must be healthy and must be between 18 and 50 years old. ""Another important thing is that the kidney must not be traded between donor and recipient,"" she said.

The problem here is the rarity of living organ donors. On average, a patient has to wait two to three years before he or she gets a kidney.

""Some of them die before they find a donor,"" Indrawati said, adding that currently there are 60 patients at PGI Cikini Hospital awaiting donors.

This situation has prompted patients to look to China, which is known as a place with high expertise in organ transplant.

Some hospitals in China have very short waiting periods; in some cases, patients wait only three days to one week for a donor.

According to Indrawati, the number of patients from Indonesia who go to China for an organ transplant is high. One estimate puts the number at hundreds of people.

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