Barriers to a functional renal transplant program in developing countries.

A successful kidney transplantation offers the best possible quality of life for patients with end stage renal disease (ESRD). Despite this, renal transplantation rates in the developing world (as with other modalities of renal replacement therapy) are considerably lower than in the developed world. Identified reasons for this include poverty, low education levels of the populations of these countries, the absence of functional dialysis and transplant units with adequately trained and motivated staff, and the lack of appropriate health policies derived from renal registry data. Measures to improve the quality of care should center around improvement of the socioeconomic and political scenario in these countries. The peculiarities of renal transplantation in these countries are also discussed.