Singapore may legalise the trade in human kidneys for transplants, its health minister said.
The Health Ministry is considering paying unrelated donors to boost the supply of organs, Khaw Boon Wan said.
"We should not reject any idea just because it is radical or controversial," Khaw said. "We may be able to find an acceptable way to allow a meaningful compensation for some living, unrelated kidney donors, without breaching ethical principles or hurting the sensitivities of others."
Khaw said the ministry would review possible changes to current legislation to allow payments for donations from third parties such as those from the charity and religious sectors. Under the proposal, which would need to be approved by Parliament to become law, patients would also get help in finding donors.
"There are desperate patients out there wishing to live and desperately poor people willing to exchange a kidney for a hopefully improved life," he said. "Criminalising organ trading does not eliminate it...it merely breeds a black market."
Khaw also said the Health Ministry would push to amend existing laws on organ transplants to remove an age limit on deceased donors, currently set at 60 years, because "the suitability of the organ depends on its condition rather than the age of the donor."
The two initiatives should enable Singapore to carry out 70% of the kidney transplants needed every year - up from 50% currently, the minister said.
Khaw's comments follow the cases of two Indonesian men who were jailed and fined by a Singapore court earlier this month after being convicted of agreeing to sell their kidneys to two patients.
Selling or buying organs or blood is illegal in Singapore, as in many other countries, and carries a penalty of up to 12 months' jail.
Copyright © 2008 The Press Association. All rights reserved.
I would support legalise the trade in human kidneys for transplants with the following condition.
* The trade MUST be regulared by the Authority with checks by 3rd parties.
* NO MIDDLEMAN be involved in the trade.
* Any Cash from the Sale MUST be listed in B/W & witness by a Lawyer.
* The list must include how much was promise to the Seller and what amount does the Hospital/Lawyer/Authority gets.
* Foreign Seller must show prove that His/Her relation knows of the sales.... approve Lawyers from both side must be there as witness.
I pity those who have to sell a Kidney for money.... just like I pity those suffering from Kidney failure....
Now we've got patients queing up for their chance to receive a kidney from donors but soon, you'll get donors queing up for their chance to sell their kidney for higher prices..
Scenario only ah..
If rich patients are buying kidney's for lets say $50,000 a piece, i wouldn't be selling mine to someone offering less than $50,000. I'd rather wait for some rich patient to buy mine. So where does that leave those middle / low income patients? No one would be willing to sell their kidneys to them.
Originally posted by hloc:I would support legalise the trade in human kidneys for transplants with the following condition.
* The trade MUST be regulared by the Authority with checks by 3rd parties.
* NO MIDDLEMAN be involved in the trade.
* Any Cash from the Sale MUST be listed in B/W & witness by a Lawyer.
* The list must include how much was promise to the Seller and what amount does the Hospital/Lawyer/Authority gets.
* Foreign Seller must show prove that His/Her relation knows of the sales.... approve Lawyers from both side must be there as witness.
I pity those who have to sell a Kidney for money.... just like I pity those suffering from Kidney failure....
pity those who got no money to buy themselves a kidney should kidney trading be leagalised..
you might as well create a future market to hedge against black market....
so.. i am sure the kidneys sure got brand.. the black brand, the brown brand, the yellow brand, the white brand
well for organ transplant you still need DNA match.
DNA match? ![]()
means impossibility for any 2 persons to have transplant.
Originally posted by maurizio13:
DNA match?
means impossibility for any 2 persons to have transplant.
donate to yourself lor ![]()
soon we will see desperate people from poor part of india, africa, vietnam, china, philippines etc coming here to sell their organs. wow, another influx of FOTs aka Foreign organ Traders.
Originally posted by mamamamama:pity those who got no money to buy themselves a kidney should kidney trading be leagalised..
This world is FULL of people without Money..... how many could you help ![]()
Isn't it better to leagalised the trade to ensure the seller will NOT be cheated by any middleman and have good medical attaintion during and after the Ops ![]()
My view is that the poor, when desperate..... will do everything to survive. That includes selling their Kidney.... legally or illegally ![]()
The problem is that for every Buyer paying $30K for a Kidney..... the poor Seller might be only getting $3-5K..... with the rest of the $$$ going to the middleman or hospital.
continue in existing thread
the search box is up there not for kamlan one