A booming kidney market preys on Afghanistan’s poor
The illegal kidney business is thriving in the city of Herat, fueled by poverty and sprawling slums, unending war, officials and doctors who turn a blind eye to organ trafficking, and a hospital that advertises itself as the country’s first kidney transplantation center.
Officials at Loqman Hakim Hospital boast that they have performed more than 1,000 kidney transplants in five years. Sellers — often motivated by debt, ailing parents or even marriages that would otherwise be unaffordable — say their hospital fees are covered by the buyers.
After a few days in the recovery ward, they are sent home. But not all recover.
Mir Gul Ataye, 28, who supports 13 family members and faced mounting debt, received $3,800 for his kidney, but was left essentially disabled.
Government inaction: Herat Province’s public health director acknowledged the rise of the kidney black market in Afghanistan, but said there was little the government could do. “There’s a lack of rule of law, and a lack of regulation surrounding this process,” he said.
The New York Times
