By Chinedu Agwu

Health Correspondent
Pushed by a combination of greed and the downturn economy, many young Nigerians are now traveling to Asia with the sole aim of selling their kidneys to hospitals and individuals in need, IrohinOodua was reliably informed today. A person can survive on one kidney even when the pair has been sold.

The source, a medical doctor who lives in Asia, told our correspondent in Lagos that an average population of 10 Nigerians visit Asia every month with the sole aim of selling one of their kidneys to people and institutions in need.

“Nigerians have earned a new but terrible reputation in Asia. They come in to Asia every month to exchange their kidneys for money. There are institutions and individuals bogged down by kidney failure in Asia. Nigeria has become the largest market for kidneys needed for transplant in Asia”, the health official who does not wish to be named told our correspondent in an exclusive chat.

According to him, young people bogged down by poverty from across the country are offering their kidneys for sale at very cheap cost. “They are falling over each other to sell their kidneys. They do not care about what happens next but they are more concerned about surviving today’s hardship. Many of them have successfully sold their kidneys in Asia,” the source said.
According to him, the Nigerian foreign missions are aware of this development but have done practically nothing to stem the tide.
According to him, the average cost of a kidney is in the equivalent of N200,000 apart from the cost of transportation which is provided by the hospitals or individuals in need.

He said the main destination of Nigerian kidney donors is Malaysia, India and Thailand.
Experts say change in lifestyle, feeding patterns and public health hazards account for the increasing number of kidney failures in Nigeria. The country’s health services lack the capacity and the human technical know how to manage the increasing kidney-related diseases.
Experts say kidney failure is a medical condition in which the kidneys fail to adequately filter waste products from the blood. The two main types are acute kidney injury, which could be treated and chronic kidney disease which is difficult to reverse.
Doctors determine is a patient had kidney problem through urine test. Symptoms include but not limited to low urine output, pain, fluid retention, swollen legs ankles or feet. In Nigeria now fewer that 160 kidney transplants have been handled by local doctors, say Mr Ayo Shonibare, a doctor and President of Transplant Association of Nigeria, (TAN) http://irohinodua./2014/09/08/young-nigerians-selling-their-kidneys-for-profit-in-asia/

Why go india wen u can market it on olx

Almost blived this until I saw d cost of kidney for 200k.
Nigerians re not diz daft nd cheap.