Transplant Issues
The Transplant Working Group has made considerable progress in strategies to reduce demand for dialysis services.
Living Related Donor Transplants
As part of recommended initiatives for renal services, the GMCT injected $2.3 million per annum to improve renal services. This has significantly increased rates of live donor kidney transplants. Higher availability of surgery time has substantially lowered patient waiting times. As a result, patients are ensured speedier access to renal transplant services.
GMCT distributes funds to Transplant Units to supplement the additional cost of the surgery for living-related procedures. The graph below illustrates how a higher rate of living-related transplants has been maintained in recent years. The deceased-donor figures for NSW are also provided.
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Donor Coordinator Positions
The preparation for a kidney transplant is a complex process In 2005, transplant clinicians raised their concerns about the difficulties for the State Donor Coordinators to meet the requirements of their demanding rosters. Negotiations with the GMCT have led to funding being made available for LifeGift NSW/ACT (Australian Red Cross Blood Service) to appoint an additional State Donor Coordinator. The GMCT also funds a Live-Donor Coordinator position at John Hunter Hospital.
Tissue-Typing Service
The GMCT also provides funding to Australian Red Cross Blood Service to assist the Tissue-Typing Service. Transplant clinicians are pleased with the improved turnaround times for tissue typing for their live-donor recipients, now under 4 days.
Funding support for Kidney Transplantation in Highly Sensitised Patients
Early in 2007, the Transplant Working Group was granted funding from the GMCT to supplement the increased expenses associated with live-donor renal transplantation of highly sensitised recipients. The supplement is open to all NSW transplant units performing a live-donor renal transplant in a sensitised patient and has now been completely expended.
This web page is managed and authorised by Greater Metropolitan Clinical Taskforce. Last updated: 16 March, 2009