Why Do So Many Saudis want to sell their kidneys?

Why Do So Many Saudis want to sell their kidneys?

PlanetHospital offers kidney surgeries.  When one searches kidney transplant overseas or affordable kidney transplants  PlanetHospital is usually on the front page.  So naturally when someone bent on wanting to sell their kidney will approach us and our standard answer is "No!".  It is interesting to note that a majority of our so called kidney sellers come from Saudi Arabia.  I found that puzzling at first.  I mean this is a rich nation, its people receive free healthcare, free education, and exports 20% of the world's oil, so why would an average of 2 citizens per day (and I mean citizens and not foreigners living in the kingdom) contact us to sell their kidney?  Very simply, because while the official unemployment rate is 10.5% of the entire population, one has to exclude women from this statistic, as most are not allowed to work and that leaves a staggering 25% unemployed men, and an average salary of $400/month (most posts from non-official voices suggest a WIDE gap between the wealthy and the rest of the population).  Now, I should just stick to medical tourism and not talk about controversial things but when I learn of this, I am left to understand WHY there is such anger from the Middle East into our direction and why do fanatics hate us so.  Imagine for a moment that there was a store in your town that read "No XXX Allowed (insert what you want in the XXX)"  Would you patronise that store? Probably not eh?  Would you want others too?  No, you would probably rail loudly against it.  So would you be upset with those who knowingly shop their in spite of their disrespect for a certain group?  Well, can you then understand why they would be angry at those who shop and enrich those who bully them?  It's a case of hating the shopper isn't it?  What's this got to do with medical tourism?  Absolutely nothing, but it is interesting how one can extrapolate understanding of another world through unusual and tangential metrics. This is not a slight against Saudis at all, I have been to the KSA and think it is beautiful, but I have seen unspeakable poverty in a country that really should have none, and thus I understand why so many want to sell their kidney  so that they can provide to their families what their leaders cannot.

Why are disabled veterans being denied the right to have children? -- things that make you go Seriously WTF?

Why are disabled veterans being denied the right to have children? -- things that make you go Seriously WTF?

I came across this article today and it ripped me to shreds. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-veterans-fertility-treatment-20121215,0,4501470.story

Veteran, by definition means they have done fighting!  So why are they fighting still? And fighting for the right to have a child at that?  If we follow the VA’s logic for a moment then this is how I understand what is being told to our returning soldiers – “Hey, we are really sorry that this dangerous job we sent you on caused you such injury that you can no longer have a child but guess what, not our problem, better luck next time?  Is this what our vets deserve?

I am putting some funds aside to help at least 12 veterans in a similar situation for 2013.  We will cover their IVF and transfer and they will just pay for the meds.  It is my hope that we will be karmically rewarded so that we can extend this to more veterans soon.  Thank you for your service, it’s not your fault for being a part of a meaningless war, but we will help you where the government has failed to do so. 

I know this blog will trigger responses by others who also feel they suffered a grave injustice and should get a similar offer (and others who will lecture us that the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were not meaningless who will be ignored as if they were wearing tinfoil hats), my heart goes out to all of you (vets that is not tinfoil hat wearers), but our company’s coffers can only reach so far.  Having said that, I am working on a program called “Free IVF” which will be ready by Feb 2013, if you want to know more about it, drop us a line with the subject line: Free IVF and I will get back to you as soon as it is completed.

Rudy Rupak, CEO