The Four-eyed Journal » Organ transplants

Kidneys, kidnappers and organ donations

jhay — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 03:58:04 +0000

“Is it a move to gain (more) support from the Catholic Church?” This was the first thought that came to mind when I heard the news that government had suddenly imposed a moratorium on kidney transplants to foreigners.

Taking a second look, this is one good move made by the government. Finally, something positive has been done to the age-old issue of organ trafficking in the country, even foreigners refer to us as not only the “texting (SMS) capital of the world” but also, “kidney transplant capital of the world.” Iba talaga ang Pinoy!

However, we must be vigilant if we ever are to, in the words of Ducky Paredes, “clean up the kidney trade“.

Dr. Leonardo de Castro of the UP Bioethics program, in an interview by abs-cbnNEWS.com/Newsbreak explains why:

“kidney transplantation is not part of medical tourism, the opportunity for foreign patients to come to have their transplants done in the Philippines remains.”

De Castro said the new DOH policy must be viewed in light of developments on organ donation around the world.

In India, Pakistan, and China, De Castro said new laws have been passed to control the selling of organs.

If these new laws are able to limit kidney transplants in these countries, De Castro said the Philippines could end up receiving more foreign transplant patients.

De Castro said he has received reports that commercial kidney brokers are now looking at the Philippines as the alternative venue for their clients.

Of course the organ trade in the Philippines has spawned a “lucrative” black market long before this new policy of the DOH came out. Let me take you back to this article by John Einar Sandvand written way back in 1999 which was aptly titled, “Kidneys for Sale.” Then there’s that award-winning documentary by Jessica Soho of the same title that some of you may have already seen. The most latest account is in the form of special report on the Inquirer.net that says keen demand is what fuels global trade in body parts.

First it was rice, now organs! What’s next? Human souls? Kidding aside, awareness is the first key to addressing this issue both from the side of the government and of the people. Fortunately, this issue has been well documented and awareness has reached good levels. Good enough that it has caught attention of the government resulting in a policy change. For the people’s part, we must be vigilant in making sure the government follows through with concrete and practical steps that will remedy this issue.

However, I think things will speed up once the occupant of Malacanang is replaced because after all, kidney transplant to foreigners is part of its Medical Tourism Program in which organ transplant (kidney, bone marrow, liver) service being marketed worldwide.

Kidnappers and organs

Speaking of awareness and organ transplants, I cannot help but think that the hoax about a gang roaming around Southern Tagalog in a van abducting kids and taking their internal organs for patients needing transplants were connected to this recent turn of events.

The hoax spread like wildfire via text messages from gullible people who believed almost everything they read on the mobile phones nowadays. At its height of notoriety, student movements calling for truth and accountability, ultimately calling on GMA to resign or be ousted were also at its peak.

A good friend of mine was smart enough to see the connection; in a text message to me he said that it was a ploy to scare young kids from going outside and parents from letting their children to go outside as well. This would thin the crowds being amassed by the student movement and thus weaken their efforts of catalyzing change in our present times.

I must say that it, if it were true, has been quite effective. Parents became more strict with their children’s outdoor trips, the public has been distracted from NBN-ZTE controversy and all worried about expensive rice, summer getaways and the new PBB teen edition.

But, the fight is not yet over. Not by a long shot. Because the usurper is still in Malacanang, we’re still importing rice instead of producing it which is why poor Pinoys are still willing to sell their organs.

Organ trade bridges gap between rich and poor

jhay — Tue, 09 Jan 2007 13:00:37 +0000

Coming across a BBC news story about how experts in the UK has warned against the buying and selling of organs in the UK which has already gone online. A search via Google to look for more information about this issue (not for organs on sale) has caused me to pause and think about many things connected to this issue. Ethics, morals, personal beliefs I hold went racing in my mind as I try to put my foot down on some position or stand on this matter.

Am I against the organ trade? If not how would I argue to support it? And if I support it, would I one day be willing to donate some of my organs to prove I’m not a hypocrite? Some of the many questions that boggle my mind as I grapple with this issue so old yet it is only now that I have chanced upon it.

Though the international health and medical community condemns and warns strongly against the sale of organs, and it is banned in some countries like the United Kingdom, here in the Philippines the organ trade is alive and continuing on.

A lot has already been said, written and published about the organ trade, particularly the buying and selling of kidneys here in the country. Thanks again to the Internet for making such literature available and to Google for helping us where to find it.

Back in 1999, John Einar Sandvand wrote a piece about “Kidneys for Sale” here in the Philippines. It opens with the following:

What do you do when there is no work? When your children are dying, and you cannot afford to pay a doctor? In the Bagong Lupa slum area in the Filipino capital at least 150 men have chosen to sell one of their kidneys.

Poverty, desperation, the love for a family member, middlemen looking to make some profit out it, insufficient laws and health professionals skirting the edges between right and wrong all have bred and kept alive this seemingly underground trade of human organs. Again John summarizes it all;

As in many countries, there is a great need for human organs for transplantation in the Philippines. Only a fraction of relatives approached after the death of a family member accept donating organs for people in need. And not all patients have relatives willing to sacrifice one of their own kidneys.

This situation makes some rich patients choose to open their wallet in search of a person who is willing to help save their lives.

Let’s be thankful that pawnshops all over the country do not accept human organs, otherwise there would be a boom in that industry. Another great piece on this issue was written by Sheila M. Rothman and Davie J. Rothman. “The Organ” has a more global perspective, with stories from China, Thailand, United States, Singapore and in the Philippines to which the authors have shown how the kidney disease, its treatment via dialysis and later on transplantations holds a special place in our history:

Kidney disease, it turns out, occupies a special place in the history of the Philippines because Ferdinand Marcos suffered from it. He had his own collection of dialysis machines; when
dialysis failed, he had two kidney transplants. (The surgeons, we were told, were flown in from the United States.) Marcos built the most impressive medical facility in Manila, the National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI). It remains the leading public transplant center in the country, performing more transplants than any other hospital, public or private.

Truly that diseases spares no one, rich or poor are all afflicted. The issues with the kidney trade however starts at the point on how both rich and poor seek ways to remedy their situations. Ironically, this entails the bridging of the gap between the two social classes, in a manner that is, well, not that good. The poor, seeking ways to save themselves from hunger and misery sells one of their kidneys to the sick rich who could afford such organs only to prolong their stay here on earth in order to increase their wealth. A vicious cycle in which our government has acted so little upon and our society has so long lived with but has refused to really do something about it.