Men Duped Into Selling Kidneys After Being Told Organ Would Regrow

In Nepal, a group of men have fallen victim to a cruel scam, believing they could sell their kidneys under the false assurance that the organs would grow back.

The small village of Hokse has earned the unsettling nickname 'Kidney Valley,' as it's become startlingly common for residents to sell this vital organ.

This trend has spotlighted a larger issue of poverty and health crisis in Nepal, with the kidney trade being a dark focal point.

Sky News shared the stories of two men, Kanchha and Ram, both in their 40s, who made the desperate decision to sell their kidneys.

Sky News

Kanchha, still reeling from the aftermath and pain of the surgery, finds himself unable to work.

He explained to Sky News: "It's impossible to count how many have done it."

"Everywhere, this village, that village, so many people have sold their kidneys."

Hokse has sadly become notorious for this practice. For years, brokers have targeted the villagers, convincing them to sell their organs.

Despite the legality issues, the pressing need for money has led many to part with their kidneys.

Shockingly, Sky News discovered that some villagers were misled into believing their kidneys would regenerate, a deception that has had fatal consequences for some.

It's estimated that one in ten transplanted organs worldwide have been obtained through trafficking.

Kanchha's own experience involved being taken to India, where he was provided with forged documents to facilitate the organ sale.

"The agents made fake documents in Kathmandu, including Indian ID cards."

Sky News

"My kidney was given to a fake sister. I think the doctor in India knew I'd sold it," he shared.

The issue of kidney failure isn't confined to the elderly, as once thought.

Dr Pukar Shresth, a surgeon at the Human Organ Transplant Center in Nepal, has noticed a worrying trend of younger individuals experiencing kidney problems, many of whom are labor migrants returning from abroad.

"It is very grave because about one third of all transplants are these labour migrant workers who have come from abroad," Dr. Shresth explained to Sky News.

"This has caused a huge burden to our health resources health facility because they account for more than 30% of the total transplant number in our country." 

The symptoms of kidney failure can be stealthy, often unnoticed until it's too late. By the time many migrant workers make it back to Nepal, their condition has deteriorated beyond help.