Sr. Kim, who this year is about 50 years old, lost the function of one of the kidneys about 25 years ago due to a vascular stenosis. And in 2014 he was diagnosed with kidney failure at St. John’s Hospital. Mary’s from Seoul Catholic University and the following year began peritoneal dialysis.
To make matters worse, Kim was diagnosed with early kidney cancer in 2019 and removed the remaining kidney from her body.
Because of this condition, Mr. Kim has completely lost kidney function and cannot urinate. So Mr.Kim’s body swells in the afternoon because he can’t release his body byproducts like urine. Mr. Kim spends eight hours at home every evening doing peritoneal dialysis to remove moisture and toxins from his body.
Still, Mr. Kim had hopes and hoped to one day get a kidney transplant to live a normal life like everyone else.
This is because in 2015 he had submitted documents to the hospital for a kidney transplant while receiving the dialysis procedure. For Mr. Kim, who lives alone without a family, kidney transplantation is urgent.
The average waiting time for a kidney transplant is about 5-6 years. Kim said that when asked how long she would have to wait for the transplant, medical staff would ask her how many years she had been waiting and, from her third or fourth year of dialysis, she said she would soon receive a kidney donation. .
However, in August last year, Mr Kim, who thought he could do a transplant soon, received shocking news: he was not registered as a candidate for a kidney transplant.
Mr Kim said: “When I was hospitalized six years ago, the hospital said it was necessary to register as a transplant patient, so I filled it out and handed in the proper documentation. but when I consulted recently at the hospital I was not registered.“
This was due to a hospital error. A hospital official explained:The organ transplant center is in charge of registering organ transplant candidates, but it appears that in 2015 Kim did not register by mistake. “
The official said: “The medical staff, who confirmed the patient’s intention to register for a transplant, should have delivered the information to the organ transplant center, but did not. We apologize. “
Kim, who found out late that he was unregistered, registered last year as a transplant candidate. However, according to the Statistical Yearbook of Organ Transplantation and Human Tissue Donation (2019), 25,465 patients expect a kidney transplant like Mr.Kim, and the average waiting time for transplants is 2,196 days. therefore, Mr. Kim has to wait another 5 to 6 years.
Kim asked at St. Mary’s in Seoul and the National Institute for Long-Term Tissue Blood Management, which oversees organ transplants, to adjust their waiting time, but was denied because they said it was impossible.
He also filed a complaint with the hospital as he has to wait many more years for a kidney transplant due to a hospital error. However, the hospital shows no signs of willingness to correct his mistake.
In addition, the Medical Dispute Mediation Arbitration Service says there is no way to help with this problem because it is not a medical accident.
The St. Mary’s of Seoul Catholic University offered compensation of 20 million KRW (~ 18,063.60 USD) to Mr. Kim, who now has to wait many more years for a kidney transplant.
Mr Kim said: “I just want the related agencies to come forward, acknowledge the mistake the hospital made, and correct them. “