How is it determined who gets priority for transplants?
There is a standard system which doctors and transplant centers use to rank transplant candidates solely based on severity of illness and medical criteria. When a donated organ becomes available, a list is generated from UNOS (United Network of Organ Sharing) which ranks recipients based on proximity to donor (because of time constraints on donated organs), blood type, length of time on waiting list, severity of illness, size compatibility of organs, tissue types (for kidneys), etc. Things such as income, name, gender, age, race, etc., are never considered and are not published on the UNOS list.
