Biden administration may soon overhaul organ transplant system to minimise inadequacies

The Biden administration in the United States is proposing to overhaul the country's organ transplant system. This includes breaking up the dominance of United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), a Virginia-headquartered non-profit that has virtually run the organ transplant system in the country since 1986.

U.S. organ transplant system overhaul: What would it entail?

The proposal for overhaul entails breaking up responsibility for some functions performed by UNOS, cited as the non-profit manager of the federal Health Resources and Services Administration.

The U.S. Federal Health Resources and Service Administration plans to invite other organisations to take over some organ transplant system's functions. This would enable the creation of the first competitive environment in the U.S. organ transplant system.

U.S. organ transplant system overhaul: What does it mean?

The organ transplant system in the United States has long been criticised as 'inadequate'. Nearly 104,000 people are on the waiting lists for organs, most for kidneys, Washington Post reported.

At least 22 people die in the United States each day while on the waiting lists for organs.

Shortcomings in the U.S. organ transplant system

Meanwhile, too many organs are reportedly discarded, damaged in transit or simply not collected by the system operated by the United Network for Organ sharing.

In August, the Senate Finance Committee, which has been investigating the transplant system for three years, reported that 70 people died and 249 developed diseases over a seven-year period after mistakes in the screening of transplanted organs, according to Washington Post.

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The Biden administration has committed $67 million in its proposed fiscal 2024 budget for "modernisation" of the transplant network — nearly double the amount in the current budget.

(With inputs from agencies)

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