cash for kidneys

LOL, we've had cash for clunkers now cash for kidneys!

Paid leave for workers who donate kidneys
From: AAP April 07, 2013 12:36PM


WORKERS who want to donate a kidney will be offered up to six weeks' paid leave under a federal government plan to reduce the waiting list for life-saving organs.

Health Minister Tanya Plibersek and parliamentary secretary for health and ageing Shanye Neumann say the government will put up $1.3 million over two year for a trial that will be reviewed in 2015.

Ms Plibersek says living donors will be paid six weeks on minimum wage, totalling up to $3600, to help take the financial pressure off before and after the major surgery.

She hopes employers will adopt leave policies for living organ donors and consider topping up donor wages during the recovery period.

"Living donors make an incredibly generous gift, and the Gillard government believes this act of kindness should be recognised and supported," the minister said in a statement on Sunday.


There are 288 living organ donors in Australia on average each year and more than 99 per cent involve kidneys.

The funds will come from a 2008 Council of Australian Governments meeting which agreed to a $151 million national reform package aimed at lifting organ and tissue donation rates.

Kidney Health Australia chief executive Anne Wilson said the announcement was a "big win" for those suffering from kidney disease.

"Providing the ability to take the time off work, while still having some form of income for everyday expenses such as bills, the mortgage and groceries, means there is one less thing to worry about," she said in a statement on Sunday.

She said the scheme was one step towards bridging the gap between the number of kidney donors and recipients.

Recent figures from the Australian & New Zealand Organ Donation Registry show there were 1080 people on the kidney transplant waiting list in Australia in 2012, but only 237 live kidney donors.

"Live kidney donations are therefore critical in helping to address this unmet demand," Ms Wilson said.

Incidences of kidney disease and people on dialysis were expected to rise with an ageing population, she said.

"In light of these figures it's clear we need to take a multi-faceted approach to organ donation, which includes better supporting future living organ donors."

Australian Medical Association spokesman Geoffrey Dobb backed the idea.

''Donating an organ is one of the bravest and most generous acts that any living donor could possibly do, and they deserve financial support as they recover from saving or enhancing another person's life,'' Professor Dobb said.


AAP