Chuck Grassley, IA
“About 2,000 children are waiting for organ transplants, and many die because the system is failing them. I asked government investigators to study how to improve organ transplants for children. We need to use their findings to fix this system.”
“Mr. President, in a bipartisan approach, about 5 years ago, we passed legislation to correct the wrongs in our organ transplant program. So, in my two decades spent fighting for U.S. organ donation reforms, I have heard far too many stories of patients who have lost their lives due to the negligence and abuse of that transplant system. Recently, I requested the Government Accountability Office--GAO for short--to study and to report back to me about the challenges and the opportunities to improve pediatric organ allocation and transplantation, and that is a particularly difficult operation for the people that are involved in distributing organs. We have about 2,000 kids on a waiting list for organ transplants, and 25 percent of that 2,000 are under the age of 5. Pediatric patients have limited time and opportunity to receive an organ transplant, as organ size is critical to successful transplantation. And this is especially true for kids waiting for liver transplants. Sadly, 1 in 10 infants listed for liver transplants never get a second chance at life. The organ procurement and transplantation system could do a better job of serving kids. We know that if a child can get an organ transplant in a timely manner, their chances of living a healthy, longer life increase. I am hopeful that GAO’s findings will inform better oversight of the current organ system, and I am also hopeful that these same GAO findings will inform data-driven policymaking to improve the system for children and their families. I yield the floor.”
Mr. President, in a bipartisan approach, about 5 years ago, we passed legislation to correct the wrongs in our organ transplant program. So, in my two decades spent fighting for U.S. organ donation reforms, I have heard far too many stories of patients who have lost their lives due to the negligence and abuse of that transplant system. Recently, I requested the Government Accountability Office--GAO for short--to study and to report back to me about the challenges and the opportunities to improve pediatric organ allocation and transplantation, and that is a particularly difficult operation for the people that are involved in distributing organs. We have about 2,000 kids on a waiting list for organ transplants, and 25 percent of that 2,000 are under the age of 5. Pediatric patients have limited time and opportunity to receive an organ transplant, as organ size is critical to successful transplantation. And this is especially true for kids waiting for liver transplants. Sadly, 1 in 10 infants listed for liver transplants never get a second chance at life. The organ procurement and transplantation system could do a better job of serving kids. We know that if a child can get an organ transplant in a timely manner, their chances of living a healthy, longer life increase. I am hopeful that GAO’s findings will inform better oversight of the current organ system, and I am also hopeful that these same GAO findings will inform data-driven policymaking to improve the system for children and their families. I yield the floor.