Illegal transplantation: Azerbaijani sold kidney for 200,000 dollars

A joint investigation by leading German media outlets - Der Spiegel magazine, ZDF television, and Deutsche Welle - has revealed that citizens of Azerbaijan are among the donors involved in illegal organ transplantation operations at the Mediheal hospital in Eldoret, Kenya.

As reported by BAKU.WS with reference to teleqraf.az, wealthy patients from Germany and Israel awaiting kidney transplants receive donors from countries such as Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Pakistan.

These individuals, having no family ties to the patients, are falsely listed in documents as "close relatives," and their kidneys are removed. Most alarming is that some donors have not yet reached adulthood and often sign documents without understanding the risks due to their lack of English language knowledge.

The operations, conducted without regard for the health and rights of donors, are actually the activities of a criminal network spanning several countries and generating multi-million dollar income.

In Germany, due to a shortage of donors, more than 10,000 people are waiting for kidney transplants, and the waiting period can reach 8-10 years. Therefore, many patients, including 57-year-old Sabine Fischer-Kugler from the German town of Gunzenhausen, seek solutions by looking for kidneys abroad through illegal means. The donor for this woman was a 24-year-old citizen of Azerbaijan. Although official documents state that the operation was "completely free of charge," the patient admitted to MedLead agency that she paid between 100,000 and 200,000 US dollars.

The founder and head of the mentioned Mediheal clinic is former deputy of Indian origin Swarup Mishra. He now heads the Kenyan State Institute of Vaccines BioVax and represents this country in relations with the World Health Organization (WHO). Despite repeated accusations of organ trafficking, he refused to answer journalists' questions.

Currently, donors from Azerbaijan and several other countries involved in such operations face serious health problems and, in many cases, suffer from psychological trauma.