Church supports ban on kidney transplant on foreigners

MANILA, Philippines - The Catholic Church on Tuesday threw its full support behind the Department of Health's decision to totally prohibit kidney transplants on foreign patients. Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines bioethics chairman and Malolos bishop Jose Oliveros said this should put an end to the illegal sale and traffic of human organs. "Although the ban is not a permanent one, I think it is a good move towards curbing rampant sale of kidneys and other human organs illegally transacted in the suburbs and countryside," Oliveros said in a statement posted on the CBCP website Tuesday night. He clarified that his support of the ban on kidney transplant for foreigners should not be taken to mean he has negative biases towards them. "I have nothing against the foreign patients coming to our country to avail of kidney transplant but I would personally prefer if the kidney transplant industry would give primordial priority to our local beneficiaries," he said. Earlier reports disclosed that non-Filipinos are being prioritized for medical procedure on organ transplant over local patients. Foreigners are reportedly willing to pay P100,000 to P200,000 for each donated organ, a possible explanation for the influx of foreign patients to the country for medical tourism. From 2006 to 2007 alone, at least 200,000 patients from countries like the United States and its territories, South Pacific nations, Canada, Korea, and Japan have come to visit the Philippines to undergo various organ transplant operations. Health secretary Francisco Duque III issued an administrative order last March dispelling the hoax that "kidney transplantation is part of medical tourism." Organ transplantation for foreigners has been suspended since January as the DOH worked on drafting the recently promulgated order. - GMANews.TV