87% of Israelis will travel for a transplant abroad even if it is illegal

This is according to a new survey conducted by the Market Watch research institute on the occasion of a bill that threatens to outlaw organ transplants abroad while ignoring the shortage of organs in Israel

For the attention of the members of the Knesset, who are currently promoting an organ transplant bill, the practical meaning of which may be the outlawing of the possibility of undergoing a transplant abroad. The results of a new survey reveal that this is a decree that the public will not be able to meet. The vast majority of Israelis, 87%, declare that they will travel abroad if they or one of their family members needs a transplant and they cannot find an organ for transplant in Israel within a few years. The survey was conducted through the Market Watch research institute under the management of Avinaam Brog, among a national and representative sample of the population at the initiative of the association for kidney patients and transplant recipients.

The survey shows that only 6% of Israelis will adhere to the proposed law, even if they cannot find an organ in Israel, and will not travel abroad for a transplant. The survey participants were presented with the following question: "The State of Israel is considering outlawing the possibility of undergoing a transplant abroad. If you or one of your family members were to need a kidney, heart or any other organ transplant, would you still travel abroad if no transplant organ could be found here in Israel within a few years?" The participants' answers were distributed as described in the following table:
Yes, I would go abroad for a transplant 86.6%
No, I would go abroad for a transplant 6.0%
don't know 7.4%

Equality between women and men
When the gender issue was examined in the survey, it emerged that there is almost absolute unanimity between women and men in the decision to travel abroad for a transplant. 86% of the women as well as 87% of the men stated that they would still travel abroad, even if it was illegal, as shown in the following table:

women men
Yes, I would travel abroad for a transplant 86.2% 87.1%
No, I would go abroad for a transplant 7.7% 4.2%
Don't know 6.2% 8.8%

Young people - more determined
The survey shows that the young people are more determined in their opinion to go for a transplant abroad even if it will be illegal, if no suitable organ can be found in Israel. 96% of 18-21 year olds, 88% of 22-29 year olds and 89% of 30-39 year olds stated so. Among those aged 66 and over, on the other hand, "only" 75.5% stated that they would go for a transplant abroad, this would also be against the law, as shown in the following table:
Age yes goes abroad no goes abroad don't know
18-21 96.1% 2.0% 2.0%
22-29 87.8% 4.4% 7.8%
30-39 89.3% 3.9% 6.8%
40-49 85.4% 7.9% 6.7%
50-59 86.2% 6.9% 6.9%
60-65 81.5% 18.5%
66+ 75.5% 15.1% 9.4%

Religious and ultra-Orthodox will also travel
When the degree of religiosity of the participants in the survey was examined, it was discovered that the decision to travel despite the law is also common among religious and ultra-Orthodox people, even though the issue of organ transplants is controversial among some of the public. From the results of the survey it emerged that there is almost unanimity among everyone. 87.7% of the secular stated that they would travel, so did 85.9% of the traditional, 83.6% of the religious and 85.7% of the ultra-Orthodox. The participants' answers were distributed as shown in the following table.
Degree of religiosity Yes travels abroad No travels abroad Don't know
Secular 87.7% 4.5% 7.8%
Traditional 85.9% 7.7% 6.3%
Religious 83.6% 9.8% 6.6%
Orthodox 85.7% 3.6% 10.7%

Small differences between the residents of the various cities throughout the country
The survey shows that there are very small differences between the residents of the various cities throughout the country. 87.4% of the residents of Tel Aviv and Gush Dan claimed that they would travel abroad for a transplant, as would 86.4% of the residents of Beer Sheva and the south, 85.0% of the residents of Haifa and the north, as well as 84.8% of the residents of Jerusalem and the surrounding area. The answers of the participants from the different regions of the country were distributed as shown in the following table.

Residential area yes travels abroad no travels abroad don't know
Jerusalem and the surrounding area 84.8% 2.2% 13.0%
Gush Dan and the center 87.4% 5.5% 7.1%
Haifa and the north 85.0% 8.3% 6.7%
Beer Sheva and the south 86.4% 4.9% 8.7%
on the bill
The purpose of the bill currently being discussed in the Knesset is to regulate the issue of organ transplants in Israel. This is a complex bill, which provides a partial solution to the problem of the severe shortage of organs for transplantation in the State of Israel. If the proposal passes in its current form, the result could be disastrous for those who cannot finance themselves a transplant abroad without the help of their health fund. The bill is being discussed for a second and third reading in the subcommittee of the Labor, Welfare and Health Committee, chaired by MK Aryeh Eldad. At the end of the preparation procedure, it will be voted on in the plenary of the committee and then in the plenary of the Knesset.

The position of the association for kidney patients and transplant recipients regarding the bill
The government bill that was discussed within the subcommittee regarding the organ transplant bill, is an important proposal that aims to regulate the issue of organ transplants in Israel, a painful and difficult issue that we know intimately. However, this is a partial proposal which does not provide an answer to the acute problem of the shortage of organs in Israel and mainly ignores the plight of the patients. The situation today is that the demand is much greater than the supply and thousands of patients wait for months and years for the long-awaited organ donation and many even die during the long waiting period. The bill in its current form does not solve this problem, moreover, it will have negative consequences for Israeli society, for example: medicine for the rich only, miraculous medicine which prevents the health insurance fund from financing all those going for a transplant, since those who can afford it will be able to travel abroad independently and save his life, while those who need funding from the HMO for a transplant (the majority of the population) will no longer be able to use this life-saving service. In addition, a complete ban on transplants in the sand will increase the illegal trade in the country and the use of unprofessional "black medicine" and of course will lead to a drastic increase in the number of people waiting for a transplant in Israel. We know that the bill is being exhausted in advanced stages, however, we appeal to you to re-discuss the relevant sections of the bill in order to find an adequate and fair solution that will not sentence our law to death. This bill changes an existing situation according to which, as mentioned, anyone who needs a transplant has a life-saving solution. It is not possible to change a long-standing precedent without establishing a transition period that allows for organization and adaptation. The association's position was transferred to MK Aryeh Eldad.

Numerical data on organ transplants in Israel
According to the data of the National Center for Transplantation, about 1,161 Israelis are currently waiting for a transplant in Israel, of which about 560 patients are waiting for a kidney transplant (of which 20 are children), about 125 patients are waiting for a liver transplant (of which nine are children), about 126 patients are waiting for a heart transplant ( of which 3 are children) as well as about 50 patients waiting for a lung transplant (of which 2 are children). According to the data of the "Edi" association, only 7% of Israelis sign a donor card. Only about a third of those who need a transplant are found an organ, so for example in 2004 747 people waited for a transplant and only 244 transplants were actually carried out.

About the association for kidney patients and transplant recipients
The association for kidney patients and transplant recipients was established in 1995 by Amos Knaf and other friends, as a voluntary association whose goal is to help kidney patients in dealing with their disease and with the health institutions in Israel. In Israel, there are approximately 10,000 kidney patients, patients suffering from mild and moderate kidney failure, dialysis patients and post-transplant patients. The association's activities are carried out on several levels, including the organization of conferences, fun days, weekends, outreach through the various media and the production of the magazine "Kidney Ethics", which comes out every few months. The association is a registered association and donations to it, as well as donations to kidney transplant funds for its members, are recognized for tax purposes. All the members of the executive committee and the representatives of the districts work on a full volunteer basis, for information on volunteering and donations you can go to the website located at: www.klayot.org.il

The survey was conducted by the Market Watch research institute under the direction of Avinaam Brog among 500 women and men aged 18 and over, who are a national and representative sample of the adult population in the Jewish settlements in Israel, during the second week of June 2007, at the initiative of the Association for Kidney Patients and Transplants.