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SINGAPORE: The two Indonesian men convicted of organ trading in Singapore will be in court again on Wednesday.
Both men had lied to a hospital ethics committee about donating their kidneys to two patients, when in fact, they were promised some S$50,000 in payments.
Despite the ongoing court case, a check online showed that there were many other people willing to sell their organs to Singaporeans.
The numbers are staggering. On at least three websites, the donors were asking for amounts ranging from about S$79,000 to S$334,000 for their kidneys.
One person contacted by Channel NewsAsia said he had five to ten living donors in Russia on standby. He said he recently sold one donor's kidney in Israel for about S$133,700 and is willing to do the same for a Singaporean.
He added that people usually sell their kidneys for two reasons – to help another person and for business.
Channel NewsAsia also spoke to a Singaporean (who only wants to be known as ‘Mr Chan’) who went to China for a kidney transplant. The retiree, in his sixties, said the operation took place in 2005.
He paid about S$70,000, of which S$50,000 went to the hospital. However, Mr Chan does not know where the rest of the money had gone to.
A similar procedure would cost him at least S$100,000 in Singapore. He would also have had to wait at least eight years for a kidney from a deceased donor.
Mr Chan said he has never asked about his donor in China. Although, Mr Chan knew he was taking a risk, he resorted to that option as undergoing dialysis was too painful for him.
The patient now takes anti-rejection drugs and goes for regular check-ups every three months at a public hospital.
Mr Chan refused to say exactly where in China the operation was performed, but he did say that he went to a reputable and well-known hospital, which is also listed online.
Since 1986, more than 600 people in Singapore have gone overseas - mainly to China and India - to seek kidney transplants. - CNA/vm
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