Kidney Transplants: Why More Specialists Are Needed

Kidney transplants are the best option for people with advanced kidney disease. They also save healthcare costs. But, these patients need special care from doctors who know a lot about transplants. These are called transplant nephrologists. They have to know a lot about checking if patients are good candidates, understanding how the body rejects organs, handling problems that happen during and after surgery, and managing the long-term effects of medicines that stop the body from rejecting the new organ. This requires extra training. Right now, there are over 250, 000 people with a working kidney transplant and more than 100, 000 people waiting for one.In 2022, over 40, 000 people joined the waitlist and more than 25, 000 got a transplant. The government wants to double the number of transplants by 2030, so we need more of these doctors. But, the number of doctors specializing in kidneys and transplants has been going down over the past 10 years. A group called the American Society of Transplantation Kidney Pancreas Community of Practice is worried about this. They think getting accreditation for Transplant Nephrology Fellowship could help solve this problem.