Paul Sagar in The Guardian:
People who experience kidney failure need either lifelong dialysis or a transplant to survive. Yet even for those lucky enough to get a transplant, that is by no means the end of the story. Kidneys from deceased donors last an average of 10 to 15 years, those from a living person 20 to 25. If (or rather, when) a transplant fails, the affected patient once again needs dialysis or a donated organ.
The UK is not unusual in having far more people who need kidneys than there are kidneys available. Every country in the world has this problem. With one exception: Iran.
What is different about Iran? It is the only state that has legalised the sale of kidneys. This began in 1988, and means the country has no waiting lists. You can expect to pay about $5,000 for a new kidney, subject to a price cap adjusted for inflation and enforced by the government. (By contrast, a kidney bought on the black market elsewhere can cost up to $120,000.) The proceeds go to the donor, who can be a friend or family relative, or just somebody who needs the money and happens to be a biological match.
More here.
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