Philippines among sources of illicit goods

[Clark]

http://www.malaya.com.ph/feb10/busi10.html

Philippines among sources of illicit goods
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"For organ sale, the Philippines is among the "common donors" of these organs together with China, India, Turkey, Egypt, Moldova, Romania, Brazil, Bolivia, and Peru for buyers coming from developed countries like the United States, Canada, Japan, Italy, and Australia, as well as the wealthy classes from developing countries such as Saudi Arabia, Israel, and Oman.

Kidney is the most commonly transplanted organ, with a global estimate of 68,500 transplants performed per year, followed by the liver (20,100), heart (5,200), lung (3,250), and pancreas (2,800).

Illicit trade in kidney and liver alone is estimated to reach between $600 million and $1.2 billion per year.

"As with other forms of trafficking, the illegal kidney trade generally ‘flows from poor, underdeveloped countries to rich, developed ones’... Recently China, Pakistan, and the Philippines have taken steps to prohibit ‘transplant tourism,’ which the United Network for Organ Sharing defines as ‘the purchase of a transplant organ abroad that includes access to an organ while bypassing laws, rules, or processes of any or all countries involved.’ These efforts have dramatically slowed the practice of open transplant tourism, but experts believe that the practice continues as ‘an underground criminal activity,’" TI said."

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