Recently, it came to light that Steven Jobs, Apple's CEO, received a liver transplant. There exist some concerns for those who worry about corporate disclosure issues and health privacy for CEOs but the transplant also raised again the troubling issue about how organs are distributed in this country. The Chicago Tribune has a brief report containing an interview with Professor Arthur Caplan. Greg Burns writes,
If Apple Inc. co-founder Steve Jobs used hisbillions to obtain a new liver ahead of less-privileged transplantpatients, who's to blame?
Not Jobs, says Arthur Caplan at the University of Pennsylvania's Center for Bioethics. "He did nothing illegal. And pursuing his own self-interest makes sense," Caplan said.
Instead, the blame goes to transplant doctors, the United Networkfor Organ Sharing and Congressional leaders. They have failed tocut off an inside track that the rich, famous and gravely ill canfollow to snare a spare part ahead of everybody else. . . .
For Caplan's take on how the Silicon Valley chieftain wound up in Memphis for a new liver, click here.
Gearlog had a brief statement from Jobs' doctor. The report states,
Another bizarre turn in the story came today when Dr. James Eason,the head of the hospital's transplant unit, held a press conference toaddress the subject, telling reporters, "Mr. Jobs is doing fine."
The hospital held the conference, in part, to address criticism thatJobs's position had helped him climb to the top of the transplant list.Said Eason,
Whoever's at the top of the list, they're there becausethey're the sickest. Waiting time isn't even a factor anymore. Ifsomeone's been on the list a long time, they're obviously healthyenough to have survived for a long time" and therefore by definitionmight not be the best candidate.