Overview

Did You Know?
Living organ donation dates back to 1954, when a kidney from one twin was successfully transplanted into his identical brother. Today, the number of living organ donors is more than 6,000 per year. And one in four of these donors aren't biologically related to the recipient.

Living donor transplants have many advantages. For example, some living donor transplants are done between family members who are genetically similar. A better genetic match lessens the risk of rejection. In addition, potential donors undergo a battery of tests to make sure they are healthy.

Here are some of the facts about organ transplants:

• More than 98,000 Americans are currently on the waiting list for a life-saving organ transplant.
• Every 12 minutes another name is added to the national transplant waiting list (an average of 245 people being added to the waiting list each month).
• On average, 18 people die every day from the lack of available organs for transplant.
• Seven percent of people on the waiting list – over 6,500 – die before they are able to receive a transplant [1].

But Why Travel for an Organ Transplant?
As with many other goods and services, the global marketplace has given rise to competition in organ transplant surgery. Within the healthcare universe the result has been the creation of three distinct benefits for consumers when traveling internationally for medical services: a rise in higher quality care, an opportunity for dramatic cost savings, and a level of superior service and patient experience.