We consider organ transplants to be a fairly common procedure, from hearts, liver, and kidneys, anyone in need can be placed on waiting lists for a new organ.

However, what is one to do if you are in desperate need of a kidney? Talk to your doctor and discuss your options, and receive dialysis treatments, only to be placed on a waiting list that can be as long as 10 years in some cases. In fact, each month, over 2,000 names are added to the national waiting list for donors. Unfortunately, thousands of Americans are put in this position every year, and an average of 18 people per day die in the U.S. while waiting for an organ.

However, some take matters into their own hands and look elsewhere to a solution to their condition. Why not look beyond American borders for a quicker, cheaper solution? The illegal organ trade has supplied millions of kidneys to desperate recipients, and it has been speculated that anywhere from 5-10% of all kidneys used for transplant originate from the illegal black market. Each year, nearly 10,000 transplants are performed using black market kidneys, many of these organs originating from developing countries. Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and India supply the most kidneys to the illicit organ trade.

Many factors play into the organ trade, the most prominent being poverty. The average "donor" is a 28-year-old man who makes $480 per year, while the average recipient is a 48-year-old man who makes $53k a year. The well-off and cared for taking advantage of people brokers consider "dispensable".

With the rise of heart problems, hypertension, and diabetes, the need for kidney transplants will continue to rise; in fact, the demand for kidneys alone has risen 3x in the past 20 years, and the profits from the illicit organ trade will skyrocket.

The victims of organ harvesting often do not perceive themselves as victims, many destitute folks will gladly sell their body parts from as low as $6,000 to pay off microfinance debts, offer dowries, or maintain a roof over their heads. However, after the procedure, many find themselves in compromising situations such as not being paid the full promised amount and other medical repercussions.

These procedures occur so frequently within poverty-stricken communities that entire towns and villages have been named "kidneyvilles".

While the kidney demand is growing too fast for anyone to come up with a quick solution, the most obvious solution seems to be ignored. Live a healthy life, eat well, and if possible, avoid preventable diseases. Register yourself as an organ donor, your dead kidney could save the life of both the recipient and a young man in Bangladesh.

For more information about illicit organ trade, watch out for future articles concerning medical tourism.