Officials of all countries need to work together to curb the growing problem of organ trafficking, a new study finds.
The study was conducted by researchers from the University of Leads. According to the researchers, owing to indefinite factors, no one is sure about the level of organ trafficking taking place across the globe but one thing is for sure, the numbers are alarming.
"Unless these issues are addressed and countries work together to take firm action against the traffickers, more people who have their trafficked will die," the authors of the study said in a press statement. "Even in the UK, although the World Health Organization has identified us as a buyer country, we don't know the full extent of it.
The researchers noted five main reasons that make pinpointing the extent of organ trafficking difficult. The first is that the people who give away their organs are reluctant to talk about it, which further encourages organ trafficking. Secondly, there are no clear laws or penalities governing the trafficking of organs between countries. Thirdly, there are many high-status surgeons who perform illegal surgeries related to organ trafficking and think that they can get away their activities.
The nature of organ trafficking is also such that it can spread across several countries and still go unnoticed. Insurers also play a part in the proliferation of organ trafficking by paying for follow-up treatments to transplant patients.
"Together these factors have helped create the practice of organ laundering - where the illegal purchase of organs takes in the veneer of a legal transaction," the study authors added. Countries should follow the example of placed like Spain where reporting the recipient of an organ purchase abroad is compulsory if follow-up care is requested."
