The Heart to Heart Blog

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Pandora's Box

by John - 15:17 on 13 July 2013

Rosetti’s ‘Pandora’ 1879

The phrase "To Open Pandora's Box" means - to perform an action that may seem small or innocuous, but that turns out to have severe and far-reaching consequences.

(Wikipedia)

Such a definition could have been written specifically for the latest strategy document from the Scottish Government and NHS Scotland – “A Donation And Transplantation Plan For Scotland 2013 – 2020”, for it contains a number of suggestions which  may seem small and innocuous, but which would turn out to have severe and far-reaching consequences.

So what is it that is being proposed?
To quote “A Donation And Transplantation Plan For Scotland 2013 – 2020” …

7.7
Reciprocity

• - where those who have signed up to the Organ Donor Register have priority for receiving an organ if they ever need one.
• - where those who have signed up to the Organ Donor Register have financial contribution to funeral costs of donor families.

That by any definition is - Conditionality.

To introduce conditionality into any aspect of health treatment flies in the very face of the Hippocratic ethos of a National Health Service that purports to deliver the appropriate treatment based purely on need.

Having established the idea of Conditionality prior to the treatment of a medical condition, how far can such conditionality be taken?

If the NHS can contribute to the funeral expenses of signed up doners , then why not go the whole way and simply put a market price on organs or tissue used? 

Complex moral, ethical and legal issues surround donation and transplantation.    The introduction of such ‘Conditionality’ merely serves to cloud such complex issues.
The widespread public and professional support for organ donation depends upon the active consideration by all involved of these difficult and sensitive issues.
Anything that clouds these issues can only diminish the publics willingness to participate and consequently the number wishing to become donors.

Once opened, all that remained in Pandora’s Box was hope.
So let us hope that those who would administer the organ donation and transplant  service see the light and drop this evil and misguided suggestion.

… but it may be all too late, the lid is already off, the box lies open.

[Ed – I have been a registered donor for as long as I can remember.   Although I find these latest proposals misguided, I will remain on the list]

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