Specialist decries low number of kidney donors

JAKARTA (JP): A kidney specialist is calling on Indonesian's to donate their kidneys after death as their are large numbers of patients waiting for transplants.

"If every citizen is ready to donate his or her kidney we would not have to look for donors abroad, " R.P Sidabutar said.

Sidabutar added that "our traditions and religions do not bar people from donating their kidneys."

"What should become accustomed to donating vital organs to the needy," he said. He added that kidney transplants have become common practice in Western countries.

He spoke at a symposium attended by about a hundred kidney specialists, pharmaceutical companies and medical students, held to mark the first anniversary of the National Kidney Foundation (Yagina). The foundation is chaired by Coordinating Minister for Political Affairs and Security Soesilo Soedarman.

"Patients with terminal kidney diseases will die within a short time unless they get a transplant of new, good kidneys while those suffering a chronic disease can keep alive by the help of a dialyses machine," he said.

The kidney is a complex organ, he said. The two kidneys perform many vital functions, the most important of which is to clean waste and toxins out of the blood, producing urine.

Sidabutar, who is also vice chairman of Yagina and chairman of the Association of the Indonesian Nephrology Specialists, said many kidney experts in developed countries have tried transplanting the kidneys of baboons and pigs into human bodies, but with few results.

Provinces

He said Yagina will establish other kidney foundations, especially in the provinces, and an independent institution to handle the kidney transplant program.

"The non-profit institutions will have a data bank on people who want to donate their kidneys after death and patients who need them," he said.

"Kidney transplants are complicated because a recipient's body always attempts to reject the new organ if it does not match his/her tissue," he said.

Sidabutar also said a kidney transplant costs between Rp 10 million to Rp 20 million, while dialysis costs more than that every year.

He said that dialysis does not heal the patient, and must be used until new kidneys are found.

Sidabutar said the number of kidney patients has increased since 1961 and the figure today stands at 3,800. He also said that there are only 200 dialysis machines and 50 nephrology specialists in Indonesia.

"Ideally we should have had at least 7,600 dialysis machines by 1990." He cited the price, around Rp 1.3 billion per unit, as prohibitive. (rms)