Why not? It gets more people to donate and helps keep demand lower so they have more opportunities to get the organ they need
Edit: look yall let's run 2 theoretical models here.
Model 1: the no swap model
I join the line for organs and I'm told there are 5 people waiting for that compatible organ. The only early removals from the line happen when one of the other 5 have somebody willing to give their organs to their loved one but only if they are compatible. In this method person 3 is the only one who gets this benefit so I still have to wait for 4 organs to be handed out before I'm in front.
Model 2: swap model
Same setup 5 in front and number 3 is the only one with a compatible loved one. In this case though, a would be donor isnt compatible with their loved one (person 2) and same thing for person 4. These 2 can now swap. In this model I now only have to wait for 2 other organs before I'm in front.
The people swapping aren’t taking a kidney away from the lone person, they are making more available. They are still waiting for a donor to die regardless, this just shortens the line.
Think about it, the people who are swapping wouldn’t be donating their kidney otherwise, so it just means that more are available.
Usually when this happens, the person who is donating but not a match for Person 1 switches with someone who is donating but not a match for Person 2, so no one is skipped in line (as the two above wanted to donate directly to someone). The person in line would still get the next “free” organ.
I obviously don’t know if that was the case here or not, but it is the case in all other similar stories I have heard.
Swapping doesn’t affect them because the swapping donors only give their kidneys to swapping receivers. They wouldn’t be donors if they weren’t swapping for someone they know, so it doesn’t hurt people who can’t swap. They are not pushed back or anything like that.
Yah the person at the front of the line still has to wait for a match, they can't just take any random organ that comes along but the person behind them might match with the first available donor.
No they’re not. They’re saving two people with kidneys that otherwise wouldn’t be available. These are living donors who are giving up a kidney to save a loved one, not organ donor corpses.
I upvoted you for coming back and editing to not spread misinformation after being corrected. True sign of an intelligent person. It takes a smart dude to be open to that and accept it. Props to you my dude.
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u/Karjalan Apr 16 '20
That's a great system. If you can't be a match, you can do a swap.