Despite it being illegal, the trade of human organs seems to be a difficult problem for law enforcement to tackle, given rising demand and prices.
Under the current regulations, organ donors must meet several conditions, including age and health requirements. Any sales of organs is strictly prohibited.
Human organs traffickers usually hang around hospitals for clients
These requirements has in part lead to an imbalance between supply and demand, and as a result, the illegal sales of organs has thrived.
Nguyen Thanh Tam, 31, from the northern province of Vinh Phuc, suffers from serious kidney failure. Doctors said that he needs a transplant to survive, but it has been a struggle for him to find a suitable donor. Both his parents offered, but being over 70 they were told they were too old. Two other relatives also volunteered, but Tam refused out of fear that it may affect their health later.
Since, his family has registered at several hospitals to find a donated kidney, but so far they have had no response. One day, however, his brother met a "strange man" outside the hospital who offered to sell his kidney. A meeting was set up, and the transplant only thwarted because the family were too afraid to sign the proper documents.
Many other people have fallen into the same situation like Tam’s due to the lack of available donated organs.
There are many desperate people in situations similar to Tam's. While some 6,000 patients need kidney, 1,500 need liver and thousands of people need other organ transplants according to statistics from the health sector, there are very few donors. Many patients turn to the black market as a last option.
In order to get around the laws, the donor claims to be doing it voluntarily and out of charity, while in fact he or she is being paid. Van, 38, from Hanoi, used this method. They were contacted by a man who said a kidney could be provided at a price of VND200 million (USD9,462).
That man introduced Van to the donor and navigated them the process and the transplant was successful.
“At first, I thought that he was a relative of the donor. However, after some negotiation about the prices and conditions, I knew he was just a middleman. The transplant was successful and I’m really happy,” Van said.
Yet, even though such transactions may mean a new lease on life for those who can afford to pay, it also sheds light on the lack of effective enforcement of law and medical medical ethics as well as an economic disparity that creates victims out of people in such economic difficulties that they are willing to undergo life-threatening surgery for cash.
