Why are young patients given an advantage in the new Allocation Scheme?
The decision about which patients should receive priority is very difficult. The previous scheme gave an advantage to paediatric patients with a sharp cut-off at the age of 18. This was in part because dialysis in children can be very difficult and in part because as children are likely to need more than one transplant in their lifetime, receiving a first well-matched kidney increases the chance of getting further kidneys for subsequent transplants. It was felt that a sharp cut-off severely disadvantaged young adults aged 19 and above. So, while the new scheme still prioritises well-matched children, it is designed to give an additional advantage to young adults. Unfortunately, whenever one group of patients is given an advantage, another is inevitably disadvantaged. The new scheme slightly reduces the chances of receiving a kidney for patients over the age of 60.
