Ethical Issues in organ transplantation

Clinical organ transplantation has been recognized as one of the most gripping medical advances of the century as it provides a way of giving the gift of life to patients with terminal failure of vital organs, which requires the participation of other fellow human beings and of society by donating organs from deceased or living individuals. The increasing incidence of vital organ failure and the inadequate supply of organs, especially from cadavers, has created a wide gap between organ supply and organ demand, which has resulted in very long waiting times to receive an organ as well as an increasing number of deaths while waiting. These events have raised many ethical, moral and societal issues regarding supply, the methods of organ allocation, the use of living donors as volunteers including minors. It has also led to the practice of organ sale by entrepreneurs for financial gains in some parts the world through exploitation of the poor, for the benefit of the wealthy. The current advances in immunology and tissue engineering and the use of animal organs, xenotransplantation, while offering very promising solutions to many of these problems, also raise additional ethical and medical issues which must be considered by the medical profession as well as society. This review deals with the ethical and moral issues generated by the current advances in organ transplantation, the problem of organ supply versus organ demand and the appropriate allocation of available organs. It deals with the risks and benefits of organ donation from living donors, the appropriate and acceptable methods to increase organ donation from the deceased through the adoption of the principle of 'presumed consent', the right methods of providing acceptable appreciation and compensation for the family of the deceased as well as volunteer and altruistic donors, and the duties and responsibilities of the medical profession and society to help fellow humans. The review also deals with the appropriate and ethically acceptable ways of utilizing the recent advances of stem cell transplantation from adult versus fetal donors, tissue engineering and the use of organs from animals or xenotransplantation. Data provided in support of the concept that clinical organ and tissue transplantation can be more beneficial and life saving if everyone involved in the process, including physicians and medical institutions, respect and consider the best interests of the patients, as well as honor the ethical, moral and religious values of society and are not tempted to seek personal fame or financial rewards

Kidney transplantation from living donors. Benefits, possible risks and dilemmas.

As a result of major advances in organ transplantation, the rising incidence of renal failure and the rising costs of dialysis treatment, the demand for kidney transplantation has been rapidly increasing all over the world including the Arabian Gulf Region. As a possible solution to this dilemma, there has been an increasing trend to use organs form living donors. In this review the current status of kidney transplantation from living genetically or emotionally related donors is reviewed, outlining the major therapeutic advantages of this source of organs with regard to the long term outcome and cost effectiveness compared to cadaver donors. The possible risks and complications to the donor are also outlined, as are the evaluation protocols and the criteria necessary for accepting individuals as living donors for kidney transplantation. The needs and the results of kidney transplantation from living donors world wide and in the Arabian Gulf Region, is specifically outlined and it is emphasized that when considering living unrelated donors, it is paramount to uphold the religious, moral and ethical principals with respect to organ donation which prohibit the purchase of trading in human organs

Students' perception of their premedical programm at the Arabian gulf university

Every medical school in the Arabian Gulf region has its own premedical program; these vary in duration and content. The premedical programs are considered important because the majority of students who enter medical schools are high school graduates, i.e. have not completed graduate educational program. Medical courses are taught in English, while subjects in government high school with the exception of English are taught in the Arabic language. The premedical programs therefore, act as an introductory and preparatory phase for medical students. This study was done in the College of Medicine and Medical Sciences [CMMS] of the Arabian Gulf University [AGU] in Bahrian. The perception of 127 AGU medical students about their premedical program was analyzed. The main objective of this study was to find out how much relevant was the content and duration of the premedical program to education in the medical phase. The study showed that the majority of the students were dissatisfied with the premedical program. Most thought it should be omitted or at least shortened and the content tailored to meet the requirement of the medical sciences programme