No illegal kidney trade here

MalayMail: KUALA LUMPUR: There is no illegal kidney trade taking place in Malaysian hospitals, despite some allegations claiming so.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai told The Malay Mail police had conducted a thorough investigation and found no basis for the allegations made by authorities in Bangladesh three months ago.
“The Inspector-General of Police (IGP) submitted the report of the investigation to me last month and it confirmed the accusation as baseless. There is no truth to it,” Liow said.
He said the investigation was based on police reports lodged by the National Kidney Foundation and the Nefrologist Association here.
“This is an allegation that came from nowhere.” he said.
On Sept 22, Bernama had reported that Malaysia was among several countries in the radar of the Bangladeshi police, who were on the trail of an international syndicate linked to illegal Bernamakidney trade across several Southeast Asian countries.
The report said investigators had identified a reputable international hospital with branches in key regions and capitals, including a hospital in Selangor which was allegedly involved in the trade.
Initial investigations had revealed that donors from remote villages in Bangladesh were apparently flown to the regions to sell their kidneys.
The report said eight people have been arrested in connection with luring the poor, illiterate victims overseas for the purpose.
The report had quoted Joypurhat Superintendent of Police, Mozammel Haque, as saying that an agency in Dhaka was involved in the illegal kidney transplant targeting not just the poor and illiterate but people in debt.
He claimed each victim was paid between US$2,000 (RM6,000) and US$3,000 for a kidney, but was unsure how much the organ was priced in the black market.
So far, at least seven cases of illegal kidney sale have surfaced in Joypurhat, located in northern Bangladesh, where largely impoverished communities survive on seasonal agricultural crops.
On Sept 27, the Health Ministry had reportedly said they would work with the Home Ministry and the police to investigate the allegation.
Health director-general Datuk Dr Hasan Abdul Rahman had said the ministry was taking the matter seriously, and upon finding any relevant evidence on the claims, would not hesitate to take serious action.
Dr Hasan had said as a member of the World Health Organisation and signatory to the Declaration of Istanbul on Organ Trafficking and Transplant Tourism, Malaysia was committed to ensuring illegal organ trade did not take place in the country.
He had also said kidney transplants in Malaysia were currently performed specifically at Kuala Lumpur Hospital, Selayang Hospital, University Malaya Medical Centre and a few private hospitals in the Klang Valley.
It had seemed far-fetched for such an illegal activity, especially involving foreigners, to have been conducted in any of the said hospitals, he added.