International Organ Trafficking Ring Broken Up in Costa Rica

In a note about a year ago, I commented on the black market for transplant organs, particularly kidneys (see: Black Market for Transplant Organs Becomes Global Phenomenon). People in less developed countries essentially "sell" one of their kidneys through a black market network to a recipient in a more affluent country. This note mentioned the frequent source of such kidneys as China, India, Brazil and the Philippines. Below is an excerpt about an international organ trafficking ring that sold kidneys to patients in Israel and Eastern Europe and was broken up by Costa Rica police and Interpol (see: Israeli doctors, patients accused of involvement in trafficking kidneys): An international organ trafficking ring that sold kidneys to patients in Israel and Eastern Europe was broken up by Costa Rica police and Interpol. The ring also worked with Israeli doctors who have not yet been named, according to Haaretz. Israel’s Health Ministry denied any knowledge of the organ trafficking ring. The Costa Rican Attorney General’s Office said last week that Israeli doctors had performed kidney-removal operations on some Costa Ricans who sold their organs, according to Haaretz. Israeli patients have paid up to $20,000 for a black market kidney. The organs were removed both in Israel and Costa Rica. Under Israel’s New Organ Transplant Law passed in 2008, health maintenance organizations and supplemental insurance companies in the country stopped funding most...
Source: Lab Soft News - Category: Pathologists Authors: Tags: Healthcare Business Healthcare Delivery Hospitals and Healthcare Delivery Medical Consumerism Medical Ethics Source Type: blogs