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Organ Shortage Research Paper

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Organ shortage is a serious issue and has impacts on various areas, particularly affecting the price of organ transplantation, causing the loss of lives and creating demands on the Black Market.
Affecting the Price of Organ Transplantation
The low supply and high demand of the organs will result in a higher equilibrium price. With the high cost of the organ transplant surgery, people who are not well off will not be able to pay for the surgery easily. Even with insurance, covering 80% of the bill, the remaining 20% is still a hefty amount. Thus, people who are unable to afford for the organ transplant will eventually die. Table 2.1 below shows the high cost of the organ transplants. Graph 2.2 below shows the median household income a year in United States 2011 is $50,100USD [23].
Table 2.1 – Cost of the organ transplants [11]

Graph 2.2 – Annual household income of United States up to 2011 [22] …show more content…
In Singapore, 60 new patients are placed on the waiting list for a kidney transplant in 2008.
In the United States, where the population is higher as compared to Singapore, 22 people die each day waiting for transplants because of the shortage of organs and 1 person is added to the waiting list every 10 minutes [12].
With more than 400 patients currently waiting for a suitable deceased donor kidney transplant in Singapore, the time for a transplant can take from 7 years to 16 years. In 2009, the average waiting time for just a kidney transplant was 9 years.
Creating Demands on the Black Market
The shortage of organs results in the long waiting list have caused people to be desperate as they do not want to lose their loved ones. Hence, they are forced to either go to the Black Market to get their organs or to get it through other

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