§ Mr. Tony Banksasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many kidneys have been purchased by the National Health Service from the United States of America; how much on average each kidney has cost; and what information he has concerning the number of United States patients waiting for kidney transplant operations and the number of patients similarly placed in the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. John Patten[pursuant to his reply, 16 January 1984, c. 128]: We are not aware that any kidneys have been imported from the United States up to now for transplantation into National Health Service patients. The United Kingdom Transplant Service is discussing with similar agencies in the United States possible reciprocal arrangements for transferring cadaver kidneys which cannot be used locally. It would be contrary to Government policy to purchase kidneys or other organs on commercial terms but payment might be made to cover transport costs and costs incurred at the donor hospital. There were 2,437 United Kingdom patients awaiting a kidney transplant on 30 November 1983. The corresponding figure for the United States is not readily available.