Anyone For Kidneys ?

Nassem Kausar has done it. So, she says, have her sister, six brothers, five sisters-in-law and two nephews. Each has sold a kidney .

"We do this because of our poverty," said Kausar
Critics blame an economic system that enmeshes farmers in chronic debt, forcing them to sell their kidneys .

A kidney donor gets $2,500, sometimes less than half that amount, while recipients pay $6,000 to $12,000, (compared with $70,000 in neighbouring China.)

"I pant. I cannot run. I cannot pick up heavy things," said Allah Yar, a 50-year-old farmer who has suffered poor health for seven years since selling a kidney. The father of six said he needed to pay off a $3,000 loan to his landlord, but got only about $1,200 for his kidney.

Mohammed Akram, a 22-year-old brick kiln worker, said he sold his kidney to pay off his father's debt.
"I cannot work like I did before. I cannot walk. I cannot run," said Akram. "I did this for my father but destroyed myself."