Living-unrelated kidney donor transplantation: Legalization in exceptional circumstances?

The prevalence of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) morbidity and mortality is mounting. Kidney transplantation offers a good means of survival and improves longevity of patients with ESRD. However, not everyone is fortunate to benefit from this lifesaving renal replacement therapy due to the lack of available kidneys, one of the many reasons. It eventually expands the number of patients on waiting list of kidney transplantation. At present, deceased and living-related kidney donor transplantation models are widely used, but with limited success to keep up with the pace of burgeoning ESRD. A debate over the legalization of unrelated living kidney donor transplantation has erupted lately. This short review articles focuses on issues surrounding kidney transplantation in Pakistan and draws an informed conclusion regarding pragmatic legalization of unrelated living kidney donor transplantation in exceptional circumstances. Finally, this article also offers a food for thought for countries facing analogous picture in the field of kidney transplantation.