Five people in southern China have been
charged with intentional injury in the case of a Chinese teenager who sold a
kidney so he could buy an iPhone and an iPad.
BEIJING
- Five people in southern China have been charged with intentional injury in
the case of a Chinese teenager who sold a kidney so he could buy an iPhone and
an iPad, the government-run Xinhua News Agency said on Friday.
The
five included a surgeon who removed a kidney from a 17-year-old boy in April
last year.
The
boy, identified only by his surname Wang, now suffers from renal deficiency,
Xinhua quoted prosecutors in Chenzhou city, Hunan province as saying.
According
to the Xinhua account, one of the defendants received about 220,000 yuan (about
$35,000) to arrange the transplant.
He paid
Wang 22,000 yuan and split the rest with the surgeon, the three other
defendants and other medical staff.
The
report did not say who received and paid for the kidney.
The
teen was from Anhui, one of China's poorest provinces, where inhabitants
frequently leave to find work and a better life elsewhere.
He
bought an iPhone and iPad, and when asked by his mother where he got the money,
admitted selling a kidney.
Apple
products are hugely popular in China, but are priced beyond the reach of many
Chinese. iPhones start at 3,988 yuan ($633), and iPads begin at 2,988 yuan
($474).
Wang's
renal deficiency is deteriorating, Xinhua quoted prosecutors as saying.
Only a
fraction of the people who need organ transplants in China are able to get
them, leading to "transplant tourism" where patients travel overseas
for such operations, and to a black market for human organs.
China
banned the trading of human organs in 2007, Xinhua said. Several other suspects
involved in the case are still being investigated.
Teen who sold kidney to buy iPad sees health
deteriorate
BEIJING
- A teenage high-school student in China sold his kidney for an illicit
transplant operation and used the proceeds to buy an Apple iPhone and iPad,
state press said on Friday.
The
17-year-old boy, who was paid 22,000 yuan ($4,384.60), was recruited from an
online chatroom and is now suffering from kidney failure and in deteriorating
health, the Xinhua news agency said.
A
surgeon and four others have been arrested and are facing charges of illegal
organ trading and intentional injury.
The
kidney donor, only identified by his surname Wang, agreed to the April 2011
operation in the central province of Hunan without his parents consent, the
report said.
One of
those detained was a hard-up gambler identified as He Wei, who acted as a
middle-man between a hospital worker and the teenager. He was paid 220,000
yuan.
Health
ministry statistics show that about 1.5 million people in China need
transplants, but only around 10,000 transplants are performed annually.
The
huge gap has led to a thriving illegal market for organs.
Executed
prisoners remain the main source of organs used in transplant operations due to
the lack of voluntary donations, Vice Health Minister Huang Jiefu was quoted by
state media as saying last month.
International
human rights groups have long accused China of harvesting organs from executed
prisoners for transplant without the consent of the prisoner or their family -
charges the government has denied.
Reuters
Business & Investment Opportunities
YourVietnamExpert is a division of Saigon Business Corporation Pte Ltd, Incorporated in Singapore since 1994. As Your Business Companion, we propose a range of services in Strategy, Investment and Management, focusing Healthcare and Life Science with expertise in ASEAN. We also propose Higher Education, as a bridge between educational structures and industries, by supporting international programmes. Many thanks for visiting www.yourvietnamexpert.com and/or contacting us at contact@yourvietnamexpert.com
No comments:
Post a Comment