12:27 AEST Thu Jul 28 2011Transplant experts are confident Australia's organ donor systems are rigorous enough to stop illegal trade in body parts.
They say the case of an elderly Sydney woman who allegedly brought a young woman from the
Philippines to harvest her kidney is unique, and doctors follow strict procedures to make sure vulnerable donors are not taken advantage of.
All live donors must undergo stringent psychological tests and medical examinations before they are allowed to offer what doctors consider "the ultimate gift".
Transplant Australia chief executive Chris Thomas said while there were 1591 Australians on the organ waiting list, there was no need for Australians to "prey on the poor and vulnerable in Third World countries".
"I think the system is working given the fact that there are strong psychological tests and investigations done by doctors before any altruistic donation is made," he told AAP.
"Altruistic donation is a wonderful thing, but there can't be any financial incentives involved. A gift is a gift, and it can't have any form of remuneration about it.
"That's a slippery slope to paying for organs, which would be abhorrent to most people."
While organ trafficking is illegal in all countries with transplant programs, the World Health Organisation estimates about 10 per cent of the 100,000 transplants carried out worldwide each year involve the sale of body parts.China, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Egypt, India and the
Philippines have all been identified as countries were there is a trade in living organs.
Mr Thomas said he understood the temptation for donors to buy an organ to avoid waiting years for a transplant.*
He expects demand for organs to rise as more people are added to transplant lists due to complications from diabetes and other so-called lifestyle diseases.
"This is why we need to improve our own organ tissue donation system and encourage more Australians to consider donation," he said.
"Families need to be more informed prior to being in a hospital corridor coming to grips with the fact that their loved one has been taken ill and is brain dead on a ventilator."
The Australian Federal Police are investigating what is believed to be the country's first case of organ trafficking.
The Sydney Morning Herald reported the alleged deal, believed to have been struck without the Filipino woman's full consent, was discovered during interviews at a Sydney hospital before the donation took place.
Kidney Health Australia's national medical director Dr Tim Matthew said that given the tight regulations surrounding organ donation, it would be impossible to carry out a secret transplant involving organ trafficking.
"You can't do one in a country hospital without anyone knowing," he said.
"No one in the medical system is going to risk doing that.
"If someone walks in and says, `Hey, this is my friend from the
Philippines,' it would immediately raise suspicions."
The number of people waiting for kidney transplants has fallen in recent years.
There were 1223 waiting in 2010, down from 1394 in 2006, while the number of transplants rose to 550 from 370 in the same period.
Sixty per cent of kidney donations are from patients who have died, while 40 per cent come from family or friends.
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*Waited 8 yrs. Started dialysing beginning Nov, '97. Had kt Oct 25, 2005. 
