UP Ibalon Bicol: Illegal kidney donation foiled

Illegal kidney donation foiled

7/21/2009 | Posted by mesiamd | Edit Post

Though there is no evidence that the money received from organ sale can make anyone rich, many Filipinos, because of poverty, are lured to selling their kidneys. Desperate ailing patients with renal disease are attracted to buy organs, sometimes setting up elaborate schemes to circumvent the law.

“In 2007, out of 1,046 kidney transplants performed in the country, 81 percent were from living, non-related donors and 51 percent of the recipients were foreigners, said the doctors' group Philippine Society of Nephrology. It wasn't clear that all of those transplants involved an organ sale, but the statistics raised suspicions.

The government has been trying to curb the trade. It recently adopted strict rules restricting foreigners from receiving organ transplants from Filipino donors. The new rules added to a 2003 law that already prohibited organ sales, which are punishable by up to 20 years in prison.”----GMANews.TV (09/20/09)

Recently, an ailing Saudi Arabian tried to get a kidney by marrying a Filipina donor. However Philippine health authorities suspected the marriage was a fraud---- a scheme of a foreigner so he can get a transplant in the country. They believed the giving of the kidney by the wife had more “commercial intent” rather purely for charity.

Recently married, the “wife” couldn’t speak Arabic and the “husband” didn’t know any English or Tagalog. They couldn't communicate to each other. As a result the application to transplant was rejected. The woman didn’t admit she was paid to do the job.

In 2007, Philippines was listed as 5th among nations with rampant kidney trafficking. With many patients waiting to get a kidney, there are recruiters and brokers for the kidney trade which compensates paid donors from P100,000 to P150,000.

Like prostitution, the kidney sale problem illustrates the difficulty of stopping illegal sales. Aside from ethical and moral considerations of commercial kidney donation, even the rules of those who decide which transplants get approved or denied can be questionable and flawed. (Photo Credit: ___) =0=

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Labels: donations, kidney disease, kidney transplant, laws, renal, Totie Mesia, trafficking of organs, transplant

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Illegal kidney donation foiled

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