Howrah News Service -  Latest news and headlines on Howrah,West Bengal and World: Pak man puts kidney for auction on Web

Pak man puts kidney for auction on Web
================================================================================
ASIANAGE on 07 September, 2008 05:24:02
 
Islamabad, Sept. 7: Bizarre as it sounds, a Pakistani has put his kidney up for
sale at a leading auction website of the country.
In recent years, Pakistan has emerged as one of the largest centres for
commerce in renal transplantation but an anonymous 26-year-old "healthy male"
deciding to sell his kidney on bolee.Com is a pointer towards the thriving
trade.
An advertisement on "Pakistan’s First Auction Site" reads, "Kidney for Sale:
I am a 26-year-old healthy person and want to sell one of my kidneys for AB+
compatible person. My demand is Rs 600,000 (operation and other medical expenses
will be borne by kidney purchaser)."
The donor, who is supposedly based in Islamabad, has a month and 21 days left
to get an auctioneer. There have been no bids yet.
According to a research paper published by the Sindh Institute of Urology in
Transplant International, Pakistan has now emerged as one of the largest centres
for commerce and tourism in renal transplantation.
Of the 239 kidney vendors contacted by the researchers, 69 per cent were bonded
labourers, 12 per cent labourers, 8.5 per cent housewives and 11 per cent
unemployed.
Their mean age was around 35 years.
In fact, 98 per cent report deterioration in general health status, the study
revealed. "Transplants are a lucrative business for Pakistani doctors, hospital
staff and ‘fixers’ who exploit the gullible and the needy."
—PTI