Kidney Selling in the Philippines
PAUNAWA: Ang blog entry po na eto ay isang kwento nang mga nag-bebenta nang kidney sa Pilipinas. Hindi po kami bumibili nang kidney. Hindi po. Pakibasa po nang entry. ~Reyna Elena 04/10/2010
Bago ako nagsimula ng PhD, ako ay bahagi ng isang international research team na naglibot sa iba’t-ibang Barrio Siete ng Pilipinas para alamin ang kalagayan ng mga kababayan nating dala ng kahirapan ay nagdesisyong sumailalim sa operasyon at ibigay ang isa sa kanilang dalawang bato (kidney) kapalit ang PhP 80,000 – PhP 200,000 at pag-asang makaranas ng kaunting ginhawa sa buhay.
Sa buong mundo, may matinding pangangailangan para sa transplantable organs. Kulang ang supply mula sa cadaveric donors. Sa Pilipinas, hindi pa gaanong uso ang pagkakaroon ng organ donor card dahil sa kawalan ng edukasyon tungkol sa kahalagahan nito gayundin ang mga pamahiin at paniniwala tungkol sa pagiging sagrado ng katawan ng tao. Minsan naman, hindi makahanap ng match sa mga kamag-anak na willing mag-donate, o kaya ayaw ng pasyenteng tumanggap ng kidney galing sa kamag-anak dahil baka ito naman ang mapahamak o magkasakit. In the long run, mas mura ang kidney transplant kaysa habambuhay na dialysis, bukod sa mas kumportable ang buhay ng pasyente.
Maraming detalye ang kwentong ito. Kung may gusto kang malaman, pakisulat ang tanong bilang isang komento at susubukan kong dugtungan ang kwento. Sa ngayon, ilalahad ko ang ilan sa highlights ng aming pananaliksik. Maaari mo ring panoorin (i.e., hanapin sa YouTube) ang feature na ginawa si Jessica Soho tungkol dito.
Karamihan sa mga nakapanayan namin ay nakatira sa Baseco sa Tondo, Maynila. Marami ring commercial donors sa probinsya ng Rizal at Quezon. Sumadya rin kami sa isla ng Siargao. Walang nakakaalam kung ilan talaga sa buong bansa ang naging commercial donors, pero tiyak na libo ang bilang nito. Mahigit tatlong-daan ang nakausap namin. For the record, ipinagbabawal ng batas ang “pagbebenta” ng organs. Yun nga lang, until recently, hindi na-implement ang batas at naging talamak talaga ang bentahan sa black market.
Karamihan sa mga recipient ay Filipino-Chinese at foreigner mula sa Japan, Middle East at ilang bahagi ng Europa. In short, sila yung may financial resources para sa isang kidney transplant. In blunt terms, sila yung may pambayad. Take note, bargain para sa mga foreigner ang transplant sa Pilipinas.
Ang nakakalungkot nga lang, mukhang hindi naman napabuti ang buhay ng ating mga kababayang nag-sakripisyo para pahabain ang buhay ng mga pasyenteng nakatanggap ng kanilang bato. Yung iba, bumili ng cellphone, tv, karaoke at iba pang appliances sa bahay na hindi nagtagal ay nasira rin. Mayroon ding nag-negosyo pero sa kasamaang-palad, hindi pinalad. Kwento ng ilan, napunta lang ang pera sa pautangan. Mayroon din namang ilan na nakapagtayo ng simpleng bahay, nakabili ng tricycle, nakapagbayad ng tuition o bill sa hospital. Gayunpaman, ramdam pa rin ang matinding kahirapan.
Marami ang nagsabing naapektuhan ang kanilang kalusugan dahil sa operasyon. Mayroong nawalan ng trabaho dahil hindi na kayang bumalik sa pagiging kargador sa pier – sumasakit ang malaking hiwa sa tagiliran lalo na kong malamig o umuulan.
Tinanong namin sila kung alam ba nilang ilegal ang kanilang ginawa. May nagsabing oo, may nagsabi ring hindi. Yung mga nakakaalam, sige pa rin dahil sa hirap ng buhay. Naisip ng karamihan na kasalanan sa Diyos ang “magbenta” (literally) ng katawan, ngunit sumuong na rin dahil mas kasalanan ang magnakaw.
Kalimitan, may mga ahente na nagre-recruit sa mga potential donor at nagsasama rito sa hospital. Syempre, may “cut” ang ahente. Sabi ng isang nakausap ko, “Saan ka – sa konsensya o sa 20,000 pesos? Sa 20,000 ako.” May mga donors na mag-asawa, magkapatid, magpinsan, mag-tiyo, magkapitbahay. May lalaki, may babae. May nakababata, may matanda. Sa Baseco na kilala na bilang “Isla Walang Bato” bahagi na ito ng buhay. Hindi ito sikreto at walang magtataas ng kilas kung gumala kang hubad-baro at prominenteng naka-display ang pilat na simbolo.
Marami akong natutunan sa proyektong ito. Namulat ang aking mga mata sa “ibang klaseng” mundo. Pero nakakabagabag, nakakalungkot. Maraming tanong na hindi ko alam ang sagot.
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Lalaine S. is (26) ay kasalukuyang nagsusunog ng kilay sa Oxford U sa Inglatera. Sya ay nagtapos ng BA-Philosophy, magna cum laude sa UP-Diliman at MA-Applied Ethics sa Linkoping U sa Sweden at Utrecht U sa Netherlands. Sya ay bahagi (pa) rin ng isang PhD program sa Oslo U sa Norway. Mahal nya ang bansang Pilipinas ngunit mahal ang pamasahe pauwi kaya't sa ngayon, doon muna sa Europa ang kanyang mga kwentong lamierda.
leche! nag-tayuan mga balahibo ko! hahaha! i’ve heard stories like this and i thought mga cheezmaks lang! i didn’t know it’s true!!! shocks!!!
Sad to say Reynz na talagang click na click ang bentahan ng mga body parts dito sa Pinas at pinakamabenta ang kidney so far….
May mga middle man nga daw ayon sa isang documentaryo ng GMA 7. Napanuod ko ito sometime kasi. Shocking indeed…
Isa ba ito sa mga issues na dala ng inyong presidential candidates (ehem) pangako?
o pabayaan na lang na ganyan ang sistema, anyway so far hanggang yak-yak lang naman ang media at mga bloggistas.
Wala ngang nangyari sa skandalong fertilizers at kung ano ano pang ZBN. Why fix if it is working?
Kaya nga may eleksyon para mapalitan sa ayon sa nararapat.
Dynasty! Dynasty! it is real. Ang resources ng bayan is with them…
Everything is OK. It is up to you.
very interesting!
can anyone be a kidney donor? i guess i’m asking, if you are poor enough to accept 80k (or less) to give up a kidney, will this kidney be good enough for transplantation?
don’t they need healthy patient histories for transplantation?
of course kelangang pumasa sa lahat ng required tests ang donor ng kidney, legal man o galing sa black market. isa pa, kelangan mag match ka dun sa recipient. kung hindi eh di sayang lang yung binayad sayo nung recipient. besides hindi papayag ang transplant doctors kung di match ang donor (or seller ng kidney) at yung recipient.
napanood ko yang feature in jessica soho! nakakapangilabot. just proves once again what some pinoys can do out of poverty.
well, if there are limits as to who can donate, ang ibig sabihin, hindi lahat kayang mag-donate.
if you believe that the trully sickly and weak are most susceptible to manipulation and most desparate, that we can be somewhat consoled at the fact that they are not affected.
yes GabbyD. u need to get a clean bill of health from the doctors. at saka meron pa yang psychiatric sessions. dapat walang hesitation sa donor. at dapat walang pumilit sa kanya. well sa case ng sellers ng kidney, yung pera ang dahilan di ba?
but organ transplantation doesn’t end in the surgery itself. yung post-surgical ang pinaka-importante.
there are cases that even when the donor and recipient are matching in all parameters, the recipient’s immune system attacks the newly transplanted organ. this is called organ transplantation rejection.
this goes for all kinds of organ transplantation. so merong recipient na namamatay a few days after ng organ transplant surgery if the said rejection cannot be contained anymore.
as to the part of the donor na isa na lang ang kidney..his/her life will never be the same again. he has to be monitored closely by the doctors as well after ng surgery. he/she is going to have dietary and lifestyle changes.
yan ang hindi iniiisip nung nagbebenta ng kidney. in fact puede rin syang mamatay agad afterwards.
this sentence i don’t understand a thing of. so i have no further comment.
oh, by that i meant that its good that the trully weak among us cannot be candidates for transplant.
its cold comfort, but at least meron…
Supposedly 18-40 ang age requirement, dapat fully functioning ang parehong kidneys, at healthy in general ang potential donor.
Hi, Glo. You are correct. The recipient will have to take anti-rejection drugs and undergo regular checks for the rest of his/her life.
Yung donor naman, in principle should have regular checks as well, but most of them, those we interviewed anyway, did not bother to go. Sayang daw kasi ang pamasahe, kaya naman ang sakit.
Still in other cases, the donors were told not to go back to the hospital as the whole procedure is not legit. Some of the people involved know how to play it safe.
so the donors are told they should go, but their compensation doesn’t factor this in.
interesting… if compensation can be re-tooled to facor-in post surgical service, that can be for the good…
My guess is, this operation is organized…Worldwide. We are talking professionals here. Doctors.Business men. banks. government agencies.
MONEY! MONEY! MONEY!
It’s the rich man’s world.
abba
May rumour pa noon na may kidnappers na ang pakay nila ay kidnapin ang mga teen-agers at young adults dahil sa kidney kaya pinagsabihan ko yong mga pamangkin ko na huwag magpapagabi sa pag-uwi o di kaya magpasundo kung masyadong nagabihan na.
May mga kwento ngang ganito. Sa China, nangyayari talaga. Sa Pilipinas, wala kaming nakuhang definitive account eh.
lahat ng organ sa china may black market. doon kasabwat ang doctors at hospitals. that’s why americans go there pag ang tagal na nila sa waiting list at wala pa rin silang donor.
i read in RD sometime ago the case of a man from the US who got a heart donor in China by way of the black market. he was super scrutinized in the US when he got back. forgot the name of that man.
is it more rampant in China? i would assume na the more mahirap the bigger the chances na susunggaban you know typical survival instincts?
The hotspots are China, Pakistan, the Philippines, Colombia and Egypt. It’s also rampant in India, Brazil, and some countries in Eastern Europe.
By the way, organs of other nationalities, say, Brazilian, command a higher price in the black market. Even there, there’s something akin to racial discrimination.
Di kaya sobrang confident lang ang mga Brazilian na pag na-transplant yung organ nila, mata-transform into Brazilian beauties ang recipient. Sensya na, hilo na nga daliri ko, hehehe.I take the RD issue…
Related story:
way back in the middle of 70’s rumor naman na kinikidnap ung mga bata. hindi for the purpose of organs but more on blood and flesh offering doon sa ginawang mga infrastructure at that time like San Juanico Bridge at ung Dam doon sa may Maria Kristina Falls bandang Iligan, Mindanao. but again i considered those 70’s rumors myth.
Who knows in the aparador?
Lalaine,
I read it again hehehe, this time, malakas na sikmura ko! Gosh! Was that you in the picture doing the interview?!
In the end, its touchingly sad. Poor people have no clue on how to handle instant cash money. Cash money as big as P80k or P200k, instantly, they go buy padyak or open a small sari-sari store and you really cannot blame these people, why? i just happen to know them given na galing ako nang Barrio. These people unfortunately are not sophisticated enough to understand on how to handle big money (by their standards) like that and i think, some organizations needs to fill that gap. I’m not saying though that i condone these stuff, i guess I wanted to separate the selling of the kidney to managing money when they have it instantly.
yun na nga parang the end justifies the means. nagbenta ng kidney para sa pera at para makaraos naman sa buhay. eh hindi nga marunong mag invest kasi. ura-urada ang gastos sa pera. natural na materialistic eh kaya ibibili ng appliances sa bahay. top of their list syempre and tv.
kaya kahit tapal tapal lang ng bahay, pagpasok mo sa loob ng bahay nila, eh ang ganda ng home entertainment system. lumalabas na may mali sa priorities ng mga ito.
well…bigyan mo ako ng milliones. nakalista ang gagawin ko dyan. nasa unahan ng lista ko ikalat ng time deposit sa laaht ng banko dito sa city malapit sa akin. at saka trust fund ng anak ko. para hindi halata na may milliones ako. else lulusubin ako ng mga ka-barrio at dadami ang relatives ko bigla. lahat hihingi ng balato!
hahaha!
in fairness meron nang mga livelihood project seminars na nakakarating sa barrio. hindi man palagi eh paminsan-minsan may mabon ng ganyan. so apra magka-idea naman ang iba kung ano ang magandang business. kaso ayun, ng seminar ng pga-gawa ng tocino. eh lahat ng bahay nag tinda na ng tocino! sino pa ang bibili? so wala rin.;) hahahaha. ewan kung ano ba ang magandang solution sa ganyang mentality.
i believe that’s what’s missing in the puzzle Glo and i think what you really meant was that the end DOES not justify the means dahil binenta nga ang kidney, sadlak pa rin sa hirap.
now, let’s look at this. the closest organization who could help them are say MBA schools sa area who could do it as part of their studies and do seminars sa mga taong to on money
or ang simbahan who instead of doing the catechesm eh palitan nang real like practical seminars
because i don’t think you can stop these people to sell their apdo and everything you know
yup definitely the end does not justify the means.
naku reynz sangkatutak naman ang livelihood loans ng credit cooperative. syempre may seminars kung anong anong negosyo and itatayo mo. nakarating na nga dito yung gramen bank ni muhammad yunus (i’m not sure kung right spelling to), yung nobel price winner from bangladesn an tumulong sa mga mahirap by way of light loans. kesa daw pumatol sa 5-6 ang mga tao.
sa ibang bayan may mga umunlad na, for sure. center chief si mama dito sa barrio namin. nag-resign na sya. sumakit ang ulo nya sa daming hocus-pocus na ginagawa ng mga members ma-approve lang ang loan.
kung livelihood loan kasi, bibisitahin ang bahay mo kung may piggery ka nga, for example. and then kelangan mo ng expansion ng piggery kaya ka mag lo-loan. naku…yung pigs ng kapitbahay, hinihiram muna. kasi yung piggery nya walang laman na pigs.
that’s really true at marami pang ibang example.
kaya ayun nag-resign ang mother ko. masarap na daw buhay nya ngayon, walang sakit ng ulo sa gramen na yan!
hahaha!!
LECHE! HAHAHAHA! kung sa accounting ang tawag nyan is WINDOW DRESSING hahaha!
HAHAHA tawa ko talaga oo! there you could really see ang ingenuity nang mga pinoy but it could not be translated into something productive leche talaga oo! so we really didn’t improved at all!!! waaaaa!!!!
yeah, i blogged about this Grameen, he once was a Harvard Professor ata who decided to back to Bangladesh
eh kasi reynz gustong gusto ng pinoy ang easy money. kaya nga ang haba ng pila sa lotto outlets eh.
may mali sa mindset ng madlang people dito bakit nangyayari ang mga ganyan.
yes reynz ang tindi ng ingenuity. walang unlad kasi ang mindset mali pa rin.
isa pang example, ang OFW families.
ang dali di ba? tanggap lang sila ng tanggap ng remittance. buong lahi eh nakatikim ng pera galing sa abroad.
wag ka, one-day-millionaires mga yan. sa isang iglap ubos ang pera.
meron pa, hihingi ng pambili ng tricycle o kaya pambili ng mga baboy at kalabaw. pag uwi nung nasa abroad kahit isang paa ng kalabaw eh wala sila.
hahahaha!!!!
nakaka-awa yung nasa abroad. mag-isa na. ginagawa pang cash cow ng buong angkan.
eto, neighbor namin mismo. as in house next to us. napilitang mag pok-pok yung nasa saudi na beautician kuno. eh ang tindi ng pressure sa buong angkan. padala sya sa lahat eh. nung umuwi isang balde ang gold jewelries. reaglo ng mga costumers na arabo. hehehe.
ayun naghiwalay silang mag-asawa. 5 ang anak nila. lahat yan nag-asawa ng maaga. ngayon balik parlor sya, di na sya makabalik sa saudi kasi may sakit na sya. ayan…sya lahat bumubuhay pati sa mga apo nya. kawawa talaga.
yung isang baldeng gold nya? sa pawnshop bumagsak. pati tupperware set naibenta. kawawa. super kawawa.
at one moment there Glo, i completely forgot na yong mga pangkins ko have the very same mentality leche oo! hahahaha!
my pangkins went to the best schools, complete with all the chorva and bling blings pati pang social climbing equipments galing nang US. mga anak yan nang sisterrete ha? as in indi pangkin from someone else
katapus tapusan eh mga gago rin pala! ayun! mga naghihirap ngayon because we’re done. we don’t send nothing no more. our job was over. bahala na sila. it’s sad, but things have to stop somewhere.
Yes, Reynz. Ako nga. Hands-on talaga, pati landfill sa Rizal pinuntahan ko para kausapin yung mga scavenger na donors.
And yes again, unfortunately, there people are naive about sound money investments. They even put more value to say, P80,000 than we do. But it’s not easy to judge because they’ve been deprived for so long.
I argued in one of the journal articles I wrote on this issue that a lump sum payment is not the way to go – there should be livelihood assistance, health insurance, etc.
By the way, I think it’s okay to have an ethical market for organs. A little bit complicated to discuss here, but I can send some text to anyone who’s interested.
I can understand Lalaine your team involvement in the project as this falls in the are of bioethics as a dilemma. I agree with you and with Reynz that this is indeed a complex and Reynz tries to part into 2 major issues – that of the ethics of selling kidneys, and that of the lost opportunity of proper investment with the monetary payoff. As regards the first issue, i still have to read The Organ Donation Act in details to say that the practice has been an ethical overboard. But as far as i know, ang batas ay unang layuning protektahan ang mga donors. Siguro ang tanong ngayon – sapat bang naprotektahan ang mga donors sa kanilang karapatan at napatupad ba ang mga provisions ng batas upang hindi ito hahantong sa pang-aabuso ng mga napaka-vulnerable na mahihirap? But in the context of poverty and the attraction of the payoff, this is where the dilemma comes in because as Reynz had argued, the payoff could have been the diving board to improve their lives in general.Typical of any ethical dilemma, i agree there are no easy answers…
what do you mean by ethical overboard? the organ donation act applies only to the dead (the extraction of their organs).
Thanks GabbyD. Recall oversight…Thanks Lalaine – it keeps me more interested with the issue…
You are right dfish, it’s a question for bioethics. However, it’s also a welfare issue.
The Organ Donation Act does not have specific provisions for the care of donors, i.e., commercial donors, because nonrelated living organ donation that involves money changing hands is supposedly against the law.
i was planning to be an organ donor when i saw that TV series where a donor met an accident and his organs were harvested even before he was declared to be really dead as in there is no more hope for him to be resuscitated just because the doctors had a rich patient waiting for the precious organ to live.
there is a thin line between murder and legal organ donation.
Here are some ethical parameters to think through:
“The Organ Donation Act (Republic Act 7170) of 1991…is silent as regards the acceptance and management of living organ donors.”
“2002 – The Department of Health (DOH) issues Administrative Order (AO) 124 which sets the guidelines for acceptance and management of organs from living (related and non-related) donors and prohibits the sale and purchase of kidneys.”
“2003 – The Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act (Republic Act 9208) defines the “sale and removal of organs” under certain conditions as a form of trafficking in persons, and thus punishable by law.”
“3 March 2008 – DOH issues Administrative Order 2008-004…set guidelines on organ transplantation to foreign patients.”
“4 March 2008 – The Philippine Society of Nephrology, a group of Filipino nephrologists then-headed by Lyn Gomez, MD, calls for the revocation of the new AO, saying the AO encourages transplant tourism. The group instead called for a total ban on transplants to foreigners.”
Source: Newsbreak
wow! good info you got there!
Ang masasabi ko lang – Philippine laws and AO are bent towards prohibiting and punishing organ selling. Ang problema sa tingin ko ay sa bawat batas na maipasa, bihirang naisa-alang alang ang law-breaking mentality ng Pinoy. Kung gaano kadami ang batas naton, ganun din ka rampant ang violations. The world may criticize America for example na napaka-litigious na bansa pero dahil dito nagkakaron din ng social order. Sa Pinas, traffic lights lang, masunod lang kung may nakatingin. My point is – lawmaking has to take into account this cultural context. One case in point – bakit hindi konsultahin ng mga mambabatas at pakinggan ang boses ng mga taga-Baseco and gumawa ng batas na halaw sa kanilang mga pangarap,karanasan, attitudes sa kanilang mga katawan,attitude sa pera, etc?
So much for my position…Tampisaw muna ako sa ulan…
Additional readings for you dfish
Asian Task Force on Organ Trafficking Recommendations
Istanbul Declaration on Organ Trafficking and Transplant Tourism
These are the latest international documents drafted by ethicists, doctors, and other stakeholders on the issue of commercial organ donation.
Thanks Lalaine. I’ll find time to browse those drafts…
wow Lalaine! impressive! talagang kinana mo tong project na to! hahaha! congratulations gurl!
Reynz, masama daw sa kidney ang pagpupuyat hahaha…
ganyan kahirap na ang mga pinoy, pati parte ng katawan ni benta na, sabagay sabi nga nila, isang kidney lang daw kelangan hehehe
In Baseco, meron ding ilan na nagbenta ng cornea. The whole eyeball had to be taken out. It’s really disconcerting.
second question:
where are the operations/procedures done?
do they need to do it in a good hospital? or are there “secret” facilities for these?
“AO 81-03 set rules and regulations governing the accreditation of hospitals engaged in the conduct of kidney transplantation.”
There are no secret facilities, at least none that we knew of in the Philippines. There are many accredited hospitals around the country. Most Filipino patients prefer the NKTI as the procedure is relatively cheaper there. Foreigners meanwhile mostly flock to private hospitals like St. Luke’s, Makati Med, UST Hospital, FEU, etc.
i hate to ask this Q but medyo naguluhan lang ako. if there are no secret facilities, are there connivance nang mga ospital in manila for these illegal activities?
if there are no underground facilities, and donation is illegal, how is it done?
are the doctors/hospitals in on it too?
hahaha…. its so funny we all came up with the same question
Hahaha. Akala ko nahihilo lang mga daliri ko…
Medyo dihens pa malinaw sa akin. If there are accredited hospitals and organ selling is illegal, where is the “clandestine, illegal” part if transplant is done in those accredited centers? Nahihilo na yata kamay sa kaka-type…
isa lang ang sagot dyan sa confusion mo dfish. yug doctor eh kasabwat ng ahente ng organ. yung accredited-hospital eh walang kamalay-malay. puede namang sabihin alng ng doctor na ‘whe have a donor! eh di naman sinsbi kung saan galing. o kaya sabihin nya, merong nasagasaan sa kanto buti umabot pa ang organ nya.
syempre kung may transplant surgery, may kita ang doctor. laki kaya ng PF nya!
Makes sense Glo…
glo! i would assume so! but this is ridiculous! now lang nag-sink in saken ang issue! hahaha! leche grabe!
Yeah, I’m prevented say this explicitly for many reasons, but you got it, Glo.
Because this is really where the grind against the law is…
ayan, confirmed by lalaine!
hehehe. well i can understand why doctors can get involved in such illegal activities. they have more-than-god complexes. especially the transplant surgeons. ang tingin nila win-win situation. may organ so may surgery, gagaling ang pasyente nya. additional star sa belt nya yan.
pero yung involvement ng hospitals eh di ko ma-take! all in the name of profit?! grabe sila talaga. hayy…
well, let’s say na mas matindi ang mga small hospital because typically big named hospitals am sure would be scared like hell to be involved in this – but of course nag-papantasya akong perfect world ang Makati Med, or St. Lukes (my parents hospital) hahaha
Just a clarification of terms Lalaine because even in the absence of a legalized ethical market for organs, as in the current practice in Pinas, still i can’t label it as voluntary or altruistic because there are factors that force them to go under the scalpel.
Ako nga, laparascopic appendectomy na sya, from Jefferson University Hospital, with state of the art equipments and I was out in 2 weeks. Ang kasalanan ko lang, nakipag-lak-lakan ako after the 2nd week, kaya binalik ako sa ospital for yet another 2 weeks, what more for them na ang hiwa is almost like an EDSA whereas mine, wala kang makita.
In the more affluent parts of the globe, laparascopic surgery na ang SOP. Sa atin, sadly, it’s not the case.
@dfish – I mentioned that as an answer to the question whether I think it’s okay to legalize commercial organ donation. The problem is that there is a big shortage of transplantable organs, and you can’t force people to make a voluntary donation in order to meet the demand for organs.
hahaha! noong andun pa ako sa previous employer ko, meron kaming medical insurance di ba? doon kahit puedeng normal delivery ang mga babae pag nanganganak eh binibiyak na agad (c-section) para mas mahal ang bayad sa doctor. eh covered naman ng insurance eh.
yang laparoscopic surgery eh considered new modality kaya di covered nung insurance namin dati. so napipilitan ang mga tao na traditional surgery para sagot ng insurance.
when in fact mas risky yung traditional.
kasi kung kasabwat ang hospital sa illegal selling of organs? mawawala ang accreditation nila as a transplant facility. so yung doctor ang culprit!
Umm, the hospitals are fully aware what’s going on. I talked to some administrators. But they just keep a blind eye. It’s profitable for them as well, not just the doctors.
wow! lalaine! this is now going into forensics hahaha!
in that case, there needs to be intervention of some kind…
so itatanong ko na lalaine:
what do you think of legalization + some other intervention (a donor’s ombudsman perhaps/second doctor should sign off that doesn’t belong to the same hospital, and it should be a blind assessment)?
GabbyD, my answer is yes – for legalization and regulation, for an ethical market in organs. To echo my prof’s argument, altruism cannot be forced.
There are thousands of unnecessary deaths due to shortage of organs. I think we have to be pragmatic about the situation. But devised a system where all stakeholders are protected from exploitation and abuse, and where all benefit in the long-term.
More Q’s:
do you know if they harvest prisoners organs too?
Reynz, they did in the 80’s, for commutation of sentence. But the program didn’t really take off. It became very controversial. There’s an excellent article written by my beloved prof. You can look it up if you want:
Human organs from prisoners: kidneys for life
by LD de Castro
“altruism cannot be forced”
In the context of the monetary payoff from the “donors”, this is a bit misleading because altruistic motives are not what propel them to go under the knife. Poverty is one. I think what you mean by “altruism” here is voluntary,consented decision even if stretches into being clandestine…Correct me if I’m wrong…
i think thats a good policy to advocate.
i read an abstract on the istanbul declaration, and it was pretty middle-of-the-road reasonable stuff… pretty good….
Ms Lalaine,
Shocking Asia, ito! — pati organs ng mga prisoners? — “for commutation of sentence. But the program didn’t really take off. It became very controversial.” — pero possible din ito.
Black market indeed…
@dfish: Yeah, very gruesome.
@reynz: There are so many angles to this story, Reynz. I’m writing a complete narrative for a book, sana nga matapos ko in time.
what you wrote is very powerful! i guess because of the pictures and i’m soooo abno with this! ahahaha wala akong ka-alam alam! hahaha
Ms. Lalaine,
Looking forward to its publication — “I’m writing a complete narrative for a book, sana nga matapos ko in time.”
For sure controversial ‘yan just like the time when Ms. Soho aired the story about it.
Penge kaming compli copy ha. Thanks! hihi
Commercial muna ako: darbs, pa-enroll na tayo sa Barrio Siete Certificate on Transplant Education Pinoy Style (parang sweet spaghetti lang).
Darbs and DFish:
By the power INvested in me by the people of barrio siete, proclamation 1801, i declare that you are now both the recipients of the 1st Barrio Siete Certificate on Transplant Education Pinoy Style and so therefore, you are now free to sell your kidney to anyone out there.
Porsyento ko nga pala.
Hahaha! When I was doing the interviews, akala ng mga tao ahente ako. Grabe, ang daming nag-offer talaga na ibenta ang kidney nila. Isama ko daw sila sa hospital, ipakilala sa doktor right away. Really heartbreaking.
Hahahaha. Pa-BP ka na darbs…
@Reynz @DFish, i don’t want to donate my organ. However I could offer my LIFE – body/soul to take over this operation and then you have all your commissions! Just give me enough to pay for my food, shelter and 1 week vacation near the beach.
so you were in fact that girl in that picture?
Yeah, ako nga, hehe. Proof na hindi kwentong-barberya ang kwentong ito. We spent months, almost a whole year gathering data. My weekends were spent mostly in the “slums” and I’m proud to have met so many good people. It was life-changing for me.
i would love to have that kind of experience. do something close to these people. something tangible perhaps hehehe leche nag-mi-midlife crisis ata ako hahaha
balik kang sorsogon reynz. magtayo ka ng MBA school. ako ang executive secretary mo.
hahaha!
yeah Glo! i would love to do something like that in Sorsogon or Albay! “that” as in indi yong ginawa ni Lalaine hehehe
Ikaw pala Ms. Lalaine ang nasa picture. You’re so young and yet so brave. Congratz sa post na ito. Ang galing. Mas extensive pa ‘ata ito sa ginawa ng GMA.
Why should we enroll? We should take over and run this operation the right way and with transparency.
We should also share all the proceed equally.
law of supply and demand? I think.
Supply is abundant – “daming nag-offer na ibenta ang kidney nila.”
Why people want to castrate themselves?
MAY NAGPAPAKO NGA SA KRUS TUWING SEMANA SANTA that is another story.
Playing the role of devil advocate:
Hey, I will do it myself if I were in their shoes! Pera na. 80K pa!, why not!
Tingnan nyu ung sa picture, ok naman, may peklat na malaki pero SO WHAT!
May peklat pero busog naman ang sikmura.
Pagkain lang igasto sa 80K – - magpakabusog ang pamilya. walang karangyaan na bibilhin.
Who in the hell will just give anybody 80K without doing anything.
hahaha. ano ka siniswerte? But the ideal is just give them something job maybe enough to stop them from selling their organ.
is it economics 101 again?
Demand is…overwhelming!
People from the other side of the moon can’t wait so they created I think the UNDERGROUND ECONOMY – - Black Market.
THEY CAN AFFORD and willing to pay anything…sell their homes…lands…took out retirement pension…sell their soul to save their love ones.
Some cannot wait for the LEGAL PROCESS process. They want is NOW!
MONEY CAN DO ANYTHING – - Money Can’t buy you love, maybe. But definitely, money can YOU BUY AN ORGAN.
ANYTHING FROM FOOT TO HAIR SCALP.
Place to go?
I don’t want to mention the name OF THE PLACE BECAUSE I CAN’T …. JUST SAD… SO SO FRIGGING SAD, MAN.
And here I am complaining about my internet connection…
To conclude:
haves need the organ
haves not has the organ…
God Have Mercy!
What else can I say?
American Law: Buying/selling human organ is illegal.
Gising na ang isang kidney ahente. This is dfish signing off…
Good night!
Morning has broken!
Like the first morning!
* * *
Thank you DFish, you just opened a new career in my BARRIO SEITE IMPORT EXPORT BUSINESS.
Job title: Kidney Transplant Representative
Licensed under Barrio Siete Health Clinic ethics, moral values, culture and tradition.
College Degree Required:
Join our training to become a certified Kidney Transplant Representative.
pueding E0-week long. or
3 – days long.
Kung walang batas na nag regulate mandated to become a Certified KTR, COLUROM na certification puedi na rin basta may baya lang.
3 hours na indoctrination kung paano maging Certified KTR puedi na rin.
Another job is opened: Instructors are needed!
It’s not just about supply and demand, although that’s one of the underlying issues. It’s about injustice, and poverty and exploitation of the poor in general.
dfish writes: “Just a clarification of terms Lalaine because even in the absence of a legalized ethical market for organs, as in the current practice in Pinas, still i can’t label it as voluntary or altruistic because there are factors that force them to go under the scalpel.”
dfish, I mentioned altruism not in the context of commercial organ donation. Obviously, people who donate in exchange of money do not do so for altruistic reasons.
Again, that altruism cannot be forced is an argument to impress that it’s not the answer to meet the demand for organs.
@Lalaine S. Yes, you are right. I avoided to tackle that issue because that is the core of the problem.
The next step is action – - the EMANCIPATION OF THE POOR, DEPRIVED AND THE OPPRESSED.
Then goodluck everyone who heed the call. whooa! I am kidding!
@dFish and lalaine,
definitely, kahit na under the guise of donation, once money exchanged hands, altruism is out the door
Hirap talaga ng mahirap ano? 2 times na yata ito na tackle ni Jessica pero patuloy pa rin ang bentahan.
Oo nga, minsan, pikit-mata ng lang, kakapit aka talaga sa patalim ‘ika nga.
“to be a poor in the Philippines is a sin…”
Lalaine,
Great post! Ipinapakita nito na may mga tao na ibebenta talaga ang mga organs nila para lang makakuha ng perang panustos sa araw-araw.
Nakakabagabag talaga.
Oh my gulay napaka laki naman ng incision! Seeing surgical incisions is my current job, but those pictures seem so huge compare to the patients I’ve seen here. I wouldn’t be surprised if these people who donated their kidneys will suffer multiple health problems in the future. Lalo na kung after nila mabenta yung organ yun na din yung last na pagkikita nila ng isang doktor.
i bet you lagare at piko ang ginamet dyan, taz walang anestesya kundi yong guava leaves na nginuya lang ang tinapal kawawa naman ang mga taong to…
hahaha baka di lang piko kundi yung tawag samin asarol or square blade hoe (about 1/2 ft wide)kelang months kaya naghilom yung sugat ano? hirap talaga maging mahirap.
Hi Lalaine. Singit lang ako ha, ‘di ko lang matiis na ‘di mag-comment. May isang doctor sa NKTI ang nakausap ko para sa isang interview for the same story on kidney selling may ilang taon na rin ang nakakaraan (2003). He confirmed the ‘transactions’ prior to the selling of kidneys by donors in a number of hospitals including the ones run by the state in Metro Mla and neighboring provinces.
Sabi nung surgeon marami raw sa kapwa niya duktor ang gumagamit sa Internet ‘to contact and or advertise to’ foreigners abt organ transplants in the Phil.
May magiinquire na foreigner sa Net, sasabihin niya (doctor), ‘punta ka dito, tingnan natin kung may mahahanap.’ of course there are no promises made. pagdating dito, the best effort to find them (foreigners) is expected…
Mas napublicize pa ang commerce (of kidney and other organs) when it was exposed in 1999 (by Jessica Soho). Alam na ng mga tao kung sino ang naghahanap at sino ang nagbebenta ng kidney kahit mahigpit. Nalaman din nila na pwede palang mabuhay ang tao kahit isa lang ang kidney, at pwede pang maibenta ang isa.
People who sell their kidney are actually forced by poverty, not because may sarili silang kusa. And there are people who are taking advantage of their poverty or maybe their ignorance or whatever it is (doctor or kidney broker) are taking advantage of.
Dahil nakasanayan na at kumikita sila, former kidney donors have turned kidney broker themselves.
‘Yung isa sa dalawang lalaki na nakausap ko sa Baseco, Tondo, Manila ang umiiyak, nagsisisi dahil sa pagbebenta ng kidney. exact quote niya, ‘magsisi man ako ay huli na. nagsisisi ako kung bakit ako pumayag. Kung may nahingan lang sana ako ng tulong.’
He sold his kidney for P50,000 to a rich Japanese patient on Sept. 24, 1990.
Noong huli ko siyang nakausap nagtitinda siya ng sigarilyo at part time barangay tanod din siya sa Baseco. Hindi na siya makabalik sa pagiging kargador dahil madali na siyang hingalin.
Mukhang na-interview ko rin ang taong sinsabi mo.
Anyway, tama ka, Yami. Meron ding mga “travel agencies” na nago-offer ng “tour” sa Pilipinas, at kasama sa package ang kindey transplantation. Tapos nung sinimulan yung Philippine Medical Tourism Program, lalong naging rampant.
Lalaine @ Yami,
Hindi kaya yung sinasabing Philippine Medical Tourism program chorvalais na yan e makapagpalala pa sa situation ng black market trading ng organs???? at saka yang mga anomalous na organ transactions???
Ha, ung thesis:business model – combining health in tourism business may nag implement na?
totoo ka?
saan ko ba nabasa yang Medical Tourism business model na yan, kung meron man. ah! pigment of my imagination!
“Philippine Medical Tourism:”:
The Thesis: It was a very interesting concept. I am not sure if the concept is the same.
Kung Front yan sa pag exploit sa mga poor people then…
Devil Advocy:
.. andiyan na yan so kung makipag-exploit tayo sa na-exploit na at sa mga na-eksploytan..lets call it, ganansya ng bayan – - So, it is now the time na ang Barrio Siete ay hihingi na sa kanilang parti.
tawagin natin yang “revolutionary” tax.
Babala!
Kung tawagin nyung “extortion” ang aming “Revolutionary Tax Methodology”, libel suit ang aabutin nyu sa legal system…at sampal, mura, curse sa mga taga BARRIO SIETE.
On the other hand, sa Kangaroo Justice, kung tawagin nyung “extortion” ang RT then you are “tong-tong pakitong-kitong” – you are a “crab”. Hatol lapwa sa init nga tubig.
Good for crab meats!
So, don’t say bad words about our “tax”. Thank you.
Parang totoo… it is just a joke! hahaha!
Kape muna.
Darbs, hindi naman sya front to exploit the poor.
http://medicaltourismphilippines.rxpinoy.com/
I mean I would like to give it the benefit of the doubt. Sadly though, when it comes to transplants (which I believe they vehemently denied to be part of the program), indeed the poor becomes even more vulnerable.
Anyway, I criticize the medical tourism program for furthering the divide between the rich and poor, and for offering world class health care to foreigners when so many Filipinos don’t have access to essential medicines, health care facilities and personnel, even decent sanitary systems. Our government’s priorities are skewed like that. Grrr!
Silver,
‘Di kasing extensive ng kay Ms. Lalaine ang knows ko diyan sa kidney selling, dyutay lang.
Pero ang siguradong makikinabang sa PMT na ‘yan ay ang mga moneyed foreign patients. at magiging rampant pa ang underground bilihan ‘di lang ng kidney gaya ng sinabi ni Ms. Lalaine, pati na rin ibang vital human parts.
“Hindi kaya yung sinasabing Philippine Medical Tourism program chorvalais na yan e makapagpalala pa sa situation ng black market trading ng organs???? at saka yang mga anomalous na organ transactions???”
@yami, lalaine
what is the connection between kidney extraction and lung capacity/endurance?
Oh, I’m afraid I don’t really know, Gabby. Let me ask a medical doctor.
@lalaine
ah ok, question about what you wrote above:
“Marami ang nagsabing naapektuhan ang kanilang kalusugan dahil sa operasyon. Mayroong nawalan ng trabaho dahil hindi na kayang bumalik sa pagiging kargador sa pier – sumasakit ang malaking hiwa sa tagiliran lalo na kong malamig o umuulan.”
this shouldn’t be permanent right? how long is the recovery period.
i guess, i’m trying to understand why there would long-term problems with kidney donation, given you were healthy enough to donate in the first place.
thanks!
GabbyD,
“what is the connection between kidney extraction and lung capacity/endurance?”
Huwaat?! hehe. Parang bilang may nagpa-quiz tapos nakatingin ako sa ceiling. Mabuti may sagot na si Ms. Lalaine.
@ Gabby
Kidney donors need post-operative care as well. Unfortunately, most of them do not bother to go back to the hospital for check-ups. Often, they’re also only given some pain-medication after discharge.
A healthy diet is also necessary to maintain optimum health and prevent damage of the remaining kidney. Healthier foods however, are more expensive. It’s really all part of the vicious cycle of poverty.
An eye-opening post. First time kong makabasa tungkol sa ganitong subject. Sad that overcoming poverty drives these organ donors, by reason of our being in the Third World
Here’s one story I found: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/7123747.stm
Mr Schofield took the decision to travel to the Philippines after spending four-and-a-half years on the UK waiting list.
Another one:
British patients with kidney and liver failure are being invited to buy replacement organs from living donors abroad by a broker who is promoting transplant operations in the Philippines, according to a charity.
The anonymous broker is offering the organ transplants at an undisclosed price via the website Liver4you.org. It was highlighted by the charity Organs Watch, which monitors the trade, as one of the first seeking European customers. A Filipino kidney can be bought for $1,300 (�780) and the operation is carried out in a private hospital in Manila, the charity says.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/3737.php
Yeah, this is true, Reynz. I once posed as the daughter of an interested “buyer”. They offered me a PhP 1.2 million package deal. Sa may Ortigas area yung hospital, hehe.
naku grabe nung una ko to mabasa dati parang di ako makapaniwala hanggang sa nung makita ko yung isang nagawa ng poso nakahubad at ang haba ng tahi na curious akot nagtanong nalaman ko nagbenta pala sya ng kidney kasi gusto mag abroad ng asawa e wala namang lupain at kalabaw ng ibebenta kaya ayun kidney binenta ng 50K tapos dina sya makaurong dahil ayaw na syang paalisin nung bahay nung agent,ayun awa ng kidney na iligal rekruter yung asawa.
o di bat maraming pangyayari sa middle east na kakadating lang dun sa kanila ng OFW tapos di katagalan iuuwi sa pinas nagpakamatay daw pero wala ng laman loob???
maraming ganyang raket yung darating dun yung OFW na DH tapos bigla isang araw magigising nalang sa sa hosp operada na sya sa di nya malamang kadahilanan yun pala pagumuwi satin at nagpasuri e nawawalan na pala sya ng mga parte sa loob ng katawan
This reminds me doon sa Barrio Slaughter house. Pag magpakatay ka ng baboy sa slaughter house na un dapat bantayan mo pag hindi nanakawin ung laman loob ng baboy na pang dinuguan.
Hi, Lee. I didn’t know about the OFW story. It’s sad and gruesome.
Do you have conclusive information on this?
akala ko ang medical tourism eh para sa cosmetic surgery? kasi nga laking mura dito sa pinas.
[...] Note: Synchronated is a Barrio Siete writer. She wrote the article entitled, “Kidney Selling in the Philippines” . Read the entry here. [...]
[...] mind you, you can work as a teller even if you are just a high school graduate.) dito sa Pilipinas, sabi nga ni Lalaine ang worse eh magbenta ng atay, apdo, balunbalunan, dugo nila. Who knows baka mamaya pati apdo mo, [...]
is it still rampant in philippines, yung liver trading?
i would like to sell my oNe kidney..
please cONTACT ME or EMAIL me [deleted]