3500 donated kidneys discarded every year in USA

WASHINGTON: Even as the USA has 93,000 people on a waiting list for a donated kidney, at least 3,500 donated kidneys are discarded in the country yearly as per a study published in the JAMA Internal Medicine on Monday.

US President Donald Trump had in July signed an executive order promising to transform kidney care across the United States. The lack of organs for kidney failure patients is a major public health concern in the country, according to CNN.

At least 5,000 people die every year in the United States while on the kidney waiting list. Over 37 million US citizens suffer from chronic kidney disease. It's the ninth leading cause of death in the USA.

The study period picked for the research was from 2004 to 2014. At least 27,987 donated kidneys were discarded out of a total of 1,56,089. The figure has risen since 2014. researchers stated that about 20 per cent of the donated kidneys were discarded in 2016 alone.

The US government currently spends over USD 114 billion on patients who suffer from kidney disease.