Living kidney donors are being reminded that they can apply for a reimbursement of their expenses and loss of income that may have arisen as a result of their donation.

Figures from the Irish Kidney Association (IKA) show that between 2009 and 2013, 138 living people donated a kidney to another person. The number of living donors has been increasing year on year, from 18 in 2009 to 38 in 2013.

According to Fine Gael Senator, Colm Burke, many living donors may not be aware that they can apply for a reimbursement of their expenses and loss of income.

"Of course organ donation should be voluntary in nature and therefore unpaid. However no-one should be at a loss for such a selfless act as donating a kidney to someone. Some donors can be out of work for quite a period of time in order to recover. We must ensure that this is not a barrier to organ donation in the general population and this is where the reimbursement scheme comes in," he pointed out.

Currently, donors are eligible to be reimbursed for loss of earnings from the time of the kidney donation up to 12 weeks after the operation, up to a maximum of €6,000.

As well as this, a person can be reimbursed for reasonable travel and accommodation expenses incurred from when they are selected as a potential donor right through to 12 weeks after the operation, again up to a maximum of €6,000.

Senator Burke pointed out that aside from the benefits to the recipient of the kidney, living donors provide ‘a valuable service to the State'.

"There are approximately 1,800 people on dialysis, the cost of which is around €75,000 per annum per patient in real terms," he noted.

He added that the Minister for Health, Leo Varadkar, recently confirmed that the Department of Health ‘plans to review this scheme by the end of this year in order to assess its effectiveness and see if it needs to be improved upon'.

For more information on the reimbursement scheme, click here