A Kidney Sold to Buy an iPhone: 5 People Charged in Southern China

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Adding a new definition to infatuation over gadgets, a Chinese teenager had sold one kidney in April last year to buy an iPhone and an iPad. The Xinhua News Agency of China reported the incident on Friday after charges were brought against five people involved in the incident.

The 17-year old teenager, Wang, hails from Anhui, one of the poorest provinces of China. Wang’s mother got concerned over her son’s new iPhone and iPad, and when she asked her son where he got the money, the teen admitted to selling one of his kidneys. He now suffers from renal deficiency.

The accused include people who arranged for the transplant and operated upon Wang. One of the defendants received about $35,000 to bring in the teen and paid about $3,500 to Wang. The rest of the money was split by the broker with the surgeon and other medical staff. The defendants have been charged with intentional injury.

  

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There has been no report of who paid for and received the kidney.

Apple Inc products are beyond the reach of most Chinese youth but are extremely popular. In China, sale of iPhones begin at $633 and iPads at $474. Apple Inc also enjoys local popularity as there are many large factories and plants run by Apple suppliers like Foxconn in China.

Finding organs for transplant is difficult in China and most patients travel abroad for such operations spawning a huge black market. The situation is a direct consequence of the conflict between legal forces and market forces that came into being after China banned the trading of human organs in 2007.

Several other suspects are being investigated in the case while the situation of the teenager is constantly deteriorating according to prosecutors.