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A 17-year-old high-school student sold his kidney to buy an Apple iPad 2. The boy, identified as Xiao Zheng, from southeast Anhui province, responded to an advertisement on the Internet offering money to organ donors.
In late April, Zheng—without his mother’s knowledge—traveled to Chenzhou in central Hunan province to have his kidney removed at a local hospital. Zheng was paid 35-hundred U.S. dollars.
The boy’s mother became suspicious when her son returned with an iPad 2.
[Xiao Zheng’s Mother]:
"Where did all that money come from? Only when he could bear it no longer did he tell us. He said, ‘Mum, I sold my kidney.’"
Zheng’s mother was devastated.
[Xiao Zheng’s Mother]:
“When I heard it, I felt like the sky was crashing down on our family."
Zheng's mother has reported the incident. But, police are unable to find the broker who has switched off his cell phone.
According to state media reports, the hospital is not qualified to do organ transplants. It claims no knowledge of Zheng’s case—stating the department that carried out the transplant surgery had been contracted to a businessman.
A Beijing organ broker says a kidney could fetch much more money than what Zheng was paid.
[A Chao, Organ Broker]:
"We pay the same price across the whole country—the price is 55-hundred U.S. dollars, plus the bonus. The bonus is between 300 to 15-hundred U.S. dollars.”
In 2007 Chinese authorities set up a voluntary donor system, but the black market organ trade continues to flourish in the country.
Source: ENGLISH NTD TV
