- © 2007 Canadian Medical Association
The advance billing caused an uproar but when reality TV actually met organ donation, it was revealed to be a hoax. The effect on organ donation rates is unknown.
The brouhaha erupted last month when a Dutch television station announced its intention to broadcast a program in June in which a terminally ill patient interviewed 3 prospective candidates to receive her kidneys. The choice of recipient was to be made on the basis of the contestants' history, profile and conversation with family and friends. Viewers were also to have the opportunity for input via text message. Medical professionals and politicians responded with outrage but when the program was aired, viewers learned the show was a hoax designed to raise awareness about the shortage of organ donors. The donor was an actress, although the 3 potential recipients were genuine.
Senior Public Relations Officer John Oliver says UK Transplant welcomes “any publicity that encourages informed debate on the desperate shortage of donated organs,” provided that campaigns are conducted in a responsible and sensitive way.
The UK National Kidney Federation opposed the program before transmission and maintains its opposition. Chief Executive Officer Tim Statham says “kidney transplantation takes place through the selfless altruistic act of another person. They seek nothing in return, it is truly the gift of life. We believe that there is now a great risk that these same people will feel that their generous act is being used for commercial benefit. It may well cause these people to shy away as none of them wants to be used, or capital to be made from their wish to assist another human being.” Statham says that all European national kidney patient organizations share the federation's view.
The impact of the program is difficult to assess. Prior to the broadcast, a few people informed UK Transplant that they would withdraw from the donor register if a similar program were shown in the UK, Oliver says. On the other hand, the UK Transplant Web site received its second highest number of visits for the year during the uproar.
Amidst the controversy, the European Commission launched a public consultation on organ donation and transplantation. The aim is to identify the main problems encountered in organ donation and transplantation, to determine the extent to which measures should be taken at the European Union level to solve these problems and to invite ideas on what initiatives can be taken.