Police officers in the southern city of Can Tho recently uncovered a network involved the trafficking kidneys to China.
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| In March 2008, To Cong Luan Luan\'s condition became critical after selling one of his kidney in China and he was sent to Cho Ray Hospital. |
The group allegedly convinced people from Vietnam to travel to China to sell kidneys. The investigation found that at least 19 people from the Mekong Delta and other southeastern regions were illegally brought to China between 2008 and 2011.
The sale of internal organs is outlawed in Vietnam, however, high demand, along with the prices offered, prove to be too much for some to resist.
The Artificial Kidney Unit of Bach Mai Hospital in Hanoi, among the top kidney treatment facilities in the country, has around 500 regular patients. According to the doctors there, about 15% their patients are in need of kidney transplants. But the waiting list is long.
Up until now, the hospital has only performed 4 kidney transplants, and all the donors were patients\' family members.
Other hospitals, including Viet Duc, Military 103 in Hanoi and Cho Ray in Ho Chi Minh City, are also capable of the procedure. But the supply of kidneys is far less than the demand. It has been estimated that 7,000 to 8,000 patients per year are in need of transplants.
Even though there is such a desperate need, doctors regularly have to turn down people who come in willing to sell their kidneys. According to Dr. Nguyen Cao Luan, head of the Artificial Kidney Unit at Bach Mai, three to four young people approach the hospital to sell their kidneys each week.
“Most of them are suffering economic difficulties and need the money,” he said. “We have to explain to them that the trade of human organs is against the law. Some of them manage to get around the policy through third parties, agents or internet advertisements. They then return claiming to be willing family member \'donors\'."
And more than that, these needy people are even finding their “customers” in China. In the kidney trading network that has recently been disclosed, many victims had serious health problems or even died after coming China to sell one of their kidneys because they are not taken care of properly.
To Cong Luan, from Ninh Thuan Province was enticed by VND70 million to go to China and give up one of his kidneys in December 2007. After two months, the 22 year-old student was still in China in serious condition.
Upon his return to Vietnam, an organiser of the trading network convinced the family to let him remain in their care, instead of taking him to a local hospital. In March 2008, Luan\'s condition became critical and he was sent to Cho Ray Hospital.
Dr. Luan suggests the establishment of an organ bank, which would collect and manage organs from all donors. "But," he says, "the most important thing is to educate people about the dangers of organ donation, and the dishonest practices of organ brokers. It is also important to encourage people to donate their organs upon death."
Many hospitals in Vietnam have successfully performed kidney transplants. The fee for such a procedure ranges from VND 250-300 million. The postoperative costs can reach VND5-7 million per month. Only about 15% of patients in need of the surgery can afford it.
