Big hospital lures poor Myanmar people to sell organs
Poor people from Myanmar are enticed to sell their kidneys to India's Apollo Hospitals, which is one of the world's largest private healthcare companies. The kidneys have gone to wealthy Myanmar patients. It reveals the British The Telegraph, whose reporter has gone undercover.
It is illegal to pay for organs in India as well as in large parts of the world. In India and Myanmar, it is also normally prohibited to accept an organ from a stranger. Therefore, the hospital allegedly had fake "family photos" taken of the organ donors together with the patients.
The newspaper's reporter pretended to have a seriously ill aunt in need of a kidney. A short time later, the reporter was introduced to a 27-year-old from Mandalay who told him that he needed money to support his family.
A hospital employee said it would cost 3,000 pounds, about 40,000 kroner, but that the money should be seen as a "thank you", not as a payment.
- It's like we're thanking them for their kindness. It is illegal to trade in organs, states the hospital employee.
The hospital states that it is "completely shocked" by the revelation and that it has launched an internal investigation.
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India investigates hospital - given one week to respond
India's health ministry is launching an investigation into Delhi's Apollo Hospital, following The Telegraph's revelation that the hospital is involved in illegal organ trafficking.
Reuters has seen a letter sent from the ministry to the hospital. In the letter, it is written that the hospital must investigate the matter, take appropriate measures and return with a report within a week.
It is illegal to pay for organs in India and in much of the rest of the world. Even so, the hospital allegedly encouraged poor people from Myanmar to sell their organs, according to the audit.
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