JEDDAH — As the global trade in organs grows, many have turned to the Internet to sell or buy organs. People seeking to sell their kidneys mostly do so to meet financial needs. Pakistan remains the top destination for Saudis seeking kidneys transplants as confirmed by the Saudi Center for Organ Transplantation (SCOT) though the country has taken steps to stem the flow of organ buyers from the Kingdom. The four main destinations for Saudis who seek organs are China and Pakistan, followed by the Philippines and Egypt, which is the only Arab country where people in need of transplantation go to find donors willing to sell their organs. Dr. Faisal Shaheen, director general of SCOT, said India previously topped the list of countries where Saudi patients sought kidney and liver transplants but since New Delhi passed a strict laws to prevent organ trafficking, Pakistan has replaced it as the top destination. "Pakistan is now the top destination for kidney transplants. It used to be legal there until 2008 but the government started an anti-organ trafficking campaign and the law now criminalizes organ trade. Despite this, organs are still sold, bought and transplanted in secrecy," he said. According to Shaheen, between 120 and 200 Saudis have undergone organ transplants abroad illegally in recent years. He said the number, while still alarming, is considerably lower than the number of Saudis who went abroad between 1996 and 1998 for illegal organ transplants. During these two years, at least 800 Saudis underwent illegal transplant operations, of which 95 percent were kidney transplants. He said people who receive organ transplants abroad are discovered when they return to the Kingdom and seek treatment at local hospitals. Many suffer health complications and often need follow-ups and medications that are required to be taken for life in order to prevent infections or rejection of the transplanted organ. Shaheen called on patients waiting to receive kidney or liver transplants to only use official health channels to arrange for organ transplants. He cautioned people against approaching intermediaries that make up the backbone of the global organ trade and described them as "untruthful people who take advantage of the need of patients to obtain organs through illegal means." According to Shaheen, the Kingdom has 13 kidney transplant centers where over 18,000 patients suffering from kidney failure receive dialysis treatment and of whom 6,000 are on an organ transplant waiting list. Trafficking in organs for transplantation has seen a steady increase since the mid-1990s especially with people accepting the benefits of transplant operations and the progress made in developing drugs that prevent the body's rejection of transplanted organs. The World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed the rise in organ trafficking globally. Of 98 countries studied, the WHO estimates that renal failure patients make up the majority of requests for organ transplant operations. It said 66,000 kidneys were transplanted in 2005, which constituted 10 percent of the estimated demand for all organ transplants.
