At present, about 1,600 transplants are performed each year, with a waiting list of about 3,600 patients.
But, as in the United States, many patients from countries without high-quality kidney care come to Britain each year to undergo transplants in private hospitals. These hospitals rely on cadaver kidneys or live donor transplants from relatives of patients.
In the past, doctor simply questioned foreign donors to make certain they were relates to recipients, but most admit the system was hardly foolproof. Often doctor could not communicate with patients who did not speak English.