Indian Journal of Transplantation · Published 2025-10-01 · DOI 10.4103/ijot.ijot_97_25
Transplant tourism refers to a specific practice, wherein the recipient crosses national borders to obtain the desired organ. The findings of a comprehensive review indicated that almost 10% of the global organ transplants involve transplant tourism. The objectives of the current article are to identify the driving factors for transplant tourism, enlist the prevailing inequities in transplant tourism, and propose public health interventions to address the menace of transplant tourism. The rise in the incidence of transplant tourism cases has been attributed to the presence of a combination of multiple factors. Transplant tourism is plagued by the presence of multiple inequities, which are equally harmful to people from vulnerable groups. Acknowledging the rising trends of transplant tourism, its preponderance to impact/exploit people who are at a disadvantage, and the widespread consequences on the health system of the low- and middle-income nations, there is an indispensable need to take urgent steps to rectify the unethical practices. In conclusion, transplant tourism has emerged as a global phenomenon, which has significant ethical and medical risks and often exploits vulnerable populations. The need of the hour is to adopt a comprehensive approach to discourage the practice of transplant tourism on a global scale and, in the process, improve patient outcomes and minimize health inequity.
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