Jesus Navarro is a Human Being

02/02/12

Oh, and without the kidney transplant, he will die.


Navarro lives in Oakland, California. The University of California San Francisco Medical Center administrators are at the moment unwilling to perform the organ transplant. Why? Because they are concerned he won't be able to receive the follow up care he'll require, in light of his status.

There are those that deem the actions cruel and heartless. What about the Hippocratic Oath? What about humanity? Have we learned nothing from the hard lessons of such travesties as slavery and segregation, and about regarding a man as a human being?

However, there are others that deem the actions as appropriate and justified. Saving sick illegal immigrants will merely attract more. Refusing care will stop ever increasing health care costs. Tougher border control is what's needed.

Perhaps many can see both sides of the issue. Here's Navarro's story, if there are some who are undecided.

Navarro is 35 years old. He's been privately insured through Berkeley's Pacific Steel foundry for nearly fifteen years. About eight years ago, his kidneys began to fail. However, he continued to work full time. Every evening he uses a home dialysis machine. The problem is, dialysis only works for so long; the estimated life expectancy is about six years. Navarro is getting sicker. He needs a transplant to live.

This past spring, UC San Francisco's transplant center called to tell him he'd gotten to the top of their waiting list for a kidney transplant. But during the final consult before surgery, doctors learned he was an illegal immigrant and refused to do the operation. Even after Navarro's wife offered to give him one of her kidneys – and incredibly, was a match – the doctors still refused to do the surgery.

Unfortunately, Navarro lost his job as a metalworker this month as a result of an immigration audit. Though he continues to carry insurance, he may at some point become insured via MediCal, the state's insurance program. If that happens, Navarro's situation will only worsen: though his dialysis will continue to be covered, an organ transplant will not.

How do the so called ‘experts' weigh in?

Reece Fawley, executive director of transplantation at UC San Francisco, was quoted as having said in a statement per the January 31^st mercurynews.com article, “No transplant for dying dad who is illegal immigrant”: “UCSF's policy for financial clearance requires candidates to present evidence of adequate and stable insurance coverage or other financial sources necessary to sustain follow-up care long after transplant surgery. Immigration status is among many factors taken into consideration.”

Some go so far as to suggest that providing medical care to illegal immigrants begets a vicious circle, in that the immigrant's native country will be unmotivated to better its healthcare system. Bob Dane of the Federation for American Immigration Reform was quoted as saying: “You just cannot provide care for illegal aliens without getting into uncompensated care.”

Whether or not that's true, doing a body count, many would agree, seems a cold, calculating means of improving a healthcare system. Forget the legalities. Forget the red tape. Forget the insurance. At the end of the day, Jesus Navarro is a human being, plain and simple, and he deserves more than the medical treatments that are clearly available to him – he deserves a chance at life.