Kidneys produce the urine and remove the wastes from the body. When they stop functioning, the toxic build up in the body can lead to the death of the person. In addition to removing the wastes, they regulate blood volume, the chemical composition of the blood, and the blood pressure.
Conditions leading to the need for a kidney transplant surgery
Many of the people get affected by diseases leading to the need for transplant surgery. The common diseases that affect the kidneys are as given below.
- Chronic pyelonephritis
- Polycystic kidneys
- Renal cell carcinoma
- Diabetes mellitus
- Nephrosclerosis
- Wilm’s tumour
- Kidney stones
- Glomerulonephritis
Treatment for renal disease
One can treat the end stage renal disease through haemodialysis. In this, they clean the blood waste products through a mechanical process. They pass chemical solutions through the abdominal cavity to remove the waste products. You cannot user kidney disease through treatment but one can opt for a kidney transplant. The shortcoming in this is that you will need drugs to keep the kidney healthy. This lifelong cost could prove expensive. In addition, some of these drugs might have side effects.
Breakup of the cost
The cost of the transplant billed in the US amounts to $262,021 whereas the kidney transplant surgery cost in India is about $3,456. The cost of the transplantation surgery will include these items given below.
- Medical costs
- Insurance co-pays
- Antirejection drugs ($2,500 for one month)
- Follow-up care and treatment
- Evaluation and testing before transplant surgery
- Rehabilitation costs
- Additional stay in the hospital if you have complications
- Surgery costs
- Insurance deductibles
- Fees for the surgeon, physicians, anaesthesiologist, radiologist, and lab testing
- Fees for paying donor
- Follow up care and testing costs
- Non-medical costs
- Lost wages if the employer does not pay for the duration of the hospital stay
- Transportation to and from the hospital
- Child care
- Food and lodging cost
- Plane travel costs to get the liver to the hospital quickly
- Lodging near the hospital for the duration of the surgery
Rise in status of India as a medical tourism hub
Due to the low cost of kidney transplant in India, many people from abroad prefer to get their medical treatment done here. This is the primary reason for the huge rise in medical tourism in India.
The other reasons are the good infrastructural facilities, good support staff, and high cutting edge technology that delivers good results. The growth of high-tech hospitals in the leading cities in India has led to an expansion of the facilities available.
Types of donors
You group the donors as living donors and deceased donors. The living donors usually are your family members – uncles, aunts, brothers, sisters, and others. Only those who are more than 18 years of age can donate the kidney.
The deceased donors are those who have experienced brain death. One must consent at the time of death to donate the organ. Before they do the transplant, the doctors will evaluate the conditions of the donor and patient.
If you need a kidney transplant, go to the website of the hospital and arrange for a consultation. Once you are on the waiting list, plan for the money to pay the hospital bill.