Vancouver: A novel scheme on the anvil, offers to reimburse some part of the costs of potential donors who wish to donate a kidney or part of the liver for transplant, in a bid to attract more numbers of living donors.

The three-year scheme, which is worth $300,000, is a pioneering effort in North America, which will seek to reimburse the travel, recuperation and accommodation expenses of living donors.

It is estimated that nearly 12% of potential donors retract owing to the costs of the operation. Ken Merkely, vice-president of the B.C. branch of the Kidney Foundation, said "There are people who are waiting for a kidney or liver transplant who may not get it because there are people that are willing to be donors and can't afford the costs associated with being a donor."