[Problems related to organ transplantation as an allocation of scarce medical resources: a review]

The criteria for allocation of medical resources at three different stages which lead to organ transplantation are discussed, along with advantages and disadvantages. When each criterion was examined individually, it was difficult to determine the best criterion for selection of recipients of donated organs in the most ethically desirable fashion. However, when we examined the suggested criteria on the basis of an actual case, the efficacy of transplantation or expected length of the survival years was most often used as a criterion to select the recipients of donated organs. To increase more support for organ transplantation in our society, it is necessary to more fully discuss how scarce donated organs should be allocated to recipients in a fair and equitable manner.