Authors: Felix Cantarovich
The success, in medical action against diseases, plus the progress in the average life survival of the population, has conditioned a progressive increase of patients that have reached “end stage organ failure”, the terminal phase of different organic systems indispensable for life.
In parallel, scientific advancement in research and medical engineering, has achieved a significant development of the substitution of vital organs, particularly through the systems of extracorporeal dialysis, and as well by the vertiginous advance of organ transplantation.
On the other hand, these positive alternative solutions of each individual case, have conditioned, a global and urgent social problem, the insufficient organ donation by the people. Concomitantly and significantly linked with this crisis of public health, the globally economic resources, and therefore the real possibilities of people’s assistance by Social Security, have been seriously compromised, by the high cost of hemodialysis and as well, by the inexorably annual increase of patients requiring this solution to stay alive.
The most possible alternatives to solve this complex socio-economic crisis, which tends to unbalance the response of Social Security institutions to solve people needs, might stand on the prevention of terminal renal failure and as well on a deep and modern social education supporting the significant people’s requirements of organ donation.
Today, these notions about preventive medicine and Social Security resources should be evaluated in relation to the treatment of end organ failure patients with artificial organs or organ transplantation.
A main possibility to improving this serious health and economic crisis, should be to establish by the States clear and well-defined health prevention policies and as well a more active and effective participation of medical professional and their representative institutions, in the worldwide development of health prevention programs.
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