Hong Kong - Kidney patients have been advised to go to China for transplants by a leading surgeon because of a shortage of donors in Hong Kong, a media report said Thursday. But the issue has reprised concerns that organs available in China might have been harvested from executed prisoners without their consent, the South China Morning Post said.
Hong Kong Hospital Authority surgeon Matthew Tong said about 10 people donated one of their kidneys last year while more than 20 people became donors after they died. But the number of donors has remained static for about 10 years.
"There are 1,400 to 1,500 people waiting for kidney transplants in Hong Kong every year. On average, they have to wait for six to seven years - and that's if they are lucky," said Tong.
As a result, more people were travelling to China for transplants.
You can get a new kidney on the mainland for 20,000-30,000 Hong Kong dollars (2,565-3,845 dollars), according to Tong.
He pointed out patients could be given kidneys from executed prisoners without their knowledge.
"I understand that it is very painful to wait for a kidney for so many years. But we don't know the origins of the kidneys you get in China," said Tong.
