The Organ Trade- Underworld Inc- TV show on kidney transplants

[MuddyGurl]

I just saw a program on cable NGCHD  a series entitled  "Underworld, Inc." (National Geographic Channel- High Def)

This  Season 2, #3 episode  was  specific to what is going on with the  US to India/israel, and world wide selling of  kidneys.
very sobering, and well done.  It is as bad as yu imagined it to be and puts a human face on the desperately poor. ( They didn't touch the China harvesting by force issue..probably no access to film there)

We follow the  typical  wealthier 70 year old grandfather too weak to drive home from 3x dialysis, who lost 2 transplants already and who is desperate not to die, considering leaving the country for an organ. He shows how easy it is online to find an illegal broker, and secure a kidney for money.

We see the many many scared and poverty stricken young Indian men who sold kidneys, and the arrested Israeli man who brokers and makes it all happen. (Young women 18-24 in Turkey were his donors.) The "underworld" dealers who pressure debt stricken people to sell.. drag them to be tested, constantly having having groups of people from USA to Saudis  willing  fly out on a moments notice and  pay $150K fast to get a donor.

An American MD shows how this all happens and is connected via a map of the world.  Police stalking the brokers and kidney hunters, the problems of all of them are detailed.

All of the issues that each goes through  from  patients in poor health, on dialysis ( sure to scare many when they see how technical and machine oriented it is..not a walk in the park), failed transplants, desperation, need for money that drives them all into this decision.

There are several other 1 hour programs on unsavory social topics..but this one is a must see for anyone interested.  It should be recommended to friends or family who don't know much about the issues faced by kidney patients.

[kristina]

Thank you MuddyGurl for posting this info ... it sounds terrible ... I shall try to find the programme about "Underworld Inc." on youtube...
Many thanks again for posting this info from Kristina.

[PrimeTimer]

Thanks for posting this, MuddyGurl.

I watched it on youtube. None of it was surprising, as my eyes have been opened to the evil and wickedness we live among for some time now. I'll be sharing the video with those with the closed eyes and with those who choose to live in their own little comfortable world who can't be bothered.

Quotes from the film: "People who are desperate for money are very easy to convince".   -Yeah, boy do they have THAT right! That statement can be applied to a lot of things in society.

                               "If we give enough money, we can get TWO kidneys from him!"    -Two kidneys?? One word, okay, two; murderous evil.   

[Simon Dog]

The King of Saudi Arabia has a "royal organ donor" who travels with him just in case.

It seems cruel, but a peasant class person gets enough $$ to take great care of his family, gets to retire early, and in return takes a chance that he will be dead or seriously injured as part of the job.

We have similar job in the US were people risk death or bodily injury for money - coal miner; police officer; convenience store clerk and cab driver come to mind.

[Fabkiwi06]

On one hand, I believe that people should have the right to do what they will with their body. If that means sell parts to pay the rent, so be it. However, it's the fact that these "dealers" prey upon vulnerable people who don't seem to fully understand the full extent of what they are doing that really bothers me.

If a full grown adult went through a process where they were completely educated about all the ins and outs of living with one Kidney by actual medical professionals in an acceptable care facility and still wanted to sell it, so be it.

[Simon Dog]

A fundamental problem with any system that is designed to make everyone equal is that it lowers the overall average stature.

Communism is great in theory - from each, according to his ability to each according to his need.  In reality, the people under such systems have a lower standard of living.

We are seeing it with Obamacare.   You cannot give to person "B" without taking from person "A".  I see it in my health plan - an every increasing limit on which MDs and hospitals I can use, because of the price pressure of servicing those who don't pay for their services.  Classic zero sum game.

Same thing with transplants.  As a starter, if next of kin were allowed to sell cadaver kidneys, the availability would go way up.  People could even include in their will "I bequest all revenue received from selling my organs to ....".    This would avoid the issue of pressuring people to sell live organs, and increase the pool.  BUT, the democrats scream, "That would be wrong!!! People without money would not have the same access as people with money".   That misses the point that the sale would increase the pool, and average availability, though the street person would no longer be the equal of a well insured person with a fat bank account.   So, we have, in effect, a communist economic system for the allocation of cadaver organs, and that contributes greatly to the shortage.

[Zach]

This research is about a well-regulated program paid by the U.S. Government (Medicare).

A Cost-Benefit Analysis of Government Compensation of Kidney Donors

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ajt.13490/full

"From 5,000 to 10,000 kidney patients die prematurely in the United States each year, and about 100,000 more suffer the debilitating effects of dialysis, because of a shortage of transplant kidneys. To reduce this shortage, many advocate having the government compensate kidney donors. This paper presents a comprehensive cost-benefit analysis of such a change. It considers not only the substantial savings to society because kidney recipients would no longer need expensive dialysis treatments—$1.45 million per kidney recipient—but also estimates the monetary value of the longer and healthier lives that kidney recipients enjoy—about $1.3 million per recipient. These numbers dwarf the proposed $45,000-per-kidney compensation that might be needed to end the kidney shortage and eliminate the kidney transplant waiting list. From the viewpoint of society, the net benefit from saving thousands of lives each year and reducing the suffering of 100,000 more receiving dialysis would be about $46 billion per year, with the benefits exceeding the costs by a factor of 3. In addition, it would save taxpayers about $12 billion each year."

More info on website.

[hatedialysis2]

Thank you MG for posting this.  Was only able to find a clip of the episode. Anyone have a link for the full one?

[MuddyGurl]

Simon-- My thoughts EXACTLY… our country is not socialistic,  not meant to be, and until people vote to completely alter it, or fight to save it,  we are in a mess.

I have been researching for months, and was told everywhere I looked our recent  PC "forced equality" thinking means you can't do tis or that freely. There is so much hate on people who are successful, discouting  the hard work it took to achieve anything. 

I looked into setting up a Donor support foundation- funded by the estates (wills)  or donations by people willing to put in money to save lives,  money  to 'pay' donors  to get tested, and further compensation once they donate. But was told it was "paying for kidneys",  I would never be allowed to select who  could receive support, ( I wanted to fund each person willing to donate) never could be done  by my ideas, it would be out of my hands, even though it was my foundation specific to kidney transplants i would have no input. ( I can explain my idea..based on a crowd funding concept) but it was too close to "financial gain"

We should have a MAJOR cadaver donation policy and advocacy..with  600% rise in need over the last 30 years for diabetes/ESRD and an aging population there  is NO reason not to.
People are generous, and their last ,and lasting gift would be donating organs.

Because altruism is not working, the wait is too long, and people will always be desperate I feel cadaver donations should be where we spend efforts and create awareness of need.  No one cares until it happens to THEM, right?

[supertramp1228]

150k US dollars ?(almost a million chinese currency)thats unacceptable!!ppl get an organ from a certified hospital in china only cost 50k dollars (300 k chinese money 100k give to the surgeon as bribe+80k for the kidney+120k for the operation) or 100k dollers from the black market when someone need a transplant urgently.

[cassandra]

MuddyGirl, I completely agree with automatic  organ donation when you die, unless you have signed a codicil or register. Family or friends will have no say (that's one of the problems in Belgium and Spain where organ donation is automatic, but friends,family (or surgeons) can refuse. It's the system of France