The government of the Philippines is taking measures to stop brokers from buying the kidneys of poor people and then reselling the kidneys for large profits, often to customers in other countries.
On September 3, the government said it will establish a kidney donation center, aims of which would be to stop the brokered sale of kidneys and to make donor kidneys more widely available. A temporary ban on the donation of kidneys from living donors to unrelated recipients is expected to be in effect until the five hospitals in the Philippines that can perform kidney transplants establish ethics committees to review any living-unrelated transplants.
According to the Associated Press, the action was taken in light of reports that up to 100 poor Filipinos have sold their kidneys for $1750 to $2500 since 1992 without being made aware of the consequences to their health.
"We have established that sale of kidney organs has been going on for the past years and the number one foreign clients are the Japanese," Reuters said in a quote attributed to a member of the Philippine senate.
In a September 3 editorial in the Toledo (Ohio) Blade, the newspaper questioned why the Philippines' National Kidney and Transplant Institute "never wondered why so many wanted to 'donate' kidneys to people who were not related to them" (www.toledoblade.com/editorial/edit/9i03ed3.htm).
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