'Transplant safari' charges

[Eugene]

'Transplant safari' charges

Andrew Meldrum, Pretoria
Thursday August 18, 2005
The Guardian

Five of South Africa's leading surgeons have been charged with
performing more than 110 illegal kidney transplants.

Prosecutors alleged in court on Tuesday that the doctors were part of an
international syndicate illegally trading in human organs. Wealthy
patients in need of kidneys came to South Africa for the organs in what
have been dubbed "transplant safaris".

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"They are facing 110 charges of assault, 110 of fraud and 110 under
the human tissue act," said police superintendent Phindile Radebe.
The case was remanded until September 16.

The government alleges that poor Brazilians were recruited to fly to
South Africa where they were paid a few hundred dollars for their
kidneys.The organs were then transplanted into patients, mainly
wealthy Israelis who travelled to South Africa and who paid $100,000
(£55,375) for the operations.

More: http://www.guardian.co.uk/southafrica/story/0,13262,1551313,00.html