Is transplantation a cost effective treatment?
Transplantation is a highly cost effective treatment. For example, to keep someone with renal failure alive costs an average $42,000 per annum for kidney dialysis, which means the person spends about 5 hours, 3 times a week having their blood ‘cleansed’. A kidney transplant costs around $40,000 for the first year and then up to $11,000 per year. Not only is a transplant cheaper but it also provides a much better quality of life. These costs do not include disability pensions which no longer need to be paid when, in many cases, the transplant recipient can return to work.
