Written by: Satkrit Pokharel - 27034, Grade IX
Posted on: 26 December, 2023
Fifty kilometers away from the capital of Nepal, Kathmandu, there is a village named Hokshe, also known as the Kidney Valley. It is said that "members from every house have sold their one kidney, and some people are forced to sell their kidneys."
Different kidney brokers from all around the world have said, "You have 2 kidneys, and you can survive with one kidney and will gain your kidney again." Due to finances and education, some are forced to sell their kidneys. Every parent from this village has sold their kidney to educate their children and fulfill their wants and needs. There are different causes for selling kidneys in this village: some people have sold their kidneys to go abroad to earn money and fulfill their dreams, some to build their houses, some to pay their loans, and many more. Due to this, they are now facing a difficult time in their lives.
Not only in this village, but most of the rural villages and their fellow villagers are forced to sell their kidneys. After the earthquake of 2072 and after COVID-19, villagers of rural areas suffered from a financial crisis, which also increased the process of selling kidneys in high amounts. From this, the number of kidney brokers also increased.
Talking about Nepal and India, there is a high demand for kidneys. According to a report, every year, people from Nepal and India need 3 lakh kidneys, but the supply of kidneys is around 8000, which is also supplied illegally from places like Hokshe of Nepal and Tamil Nadu of India. Because of this, different brokers, government, politicians, hospitals, etc., are interested and are earning millions and millions of money from such crimes.
Kidney brokers are used to target victims who are in an emergency and need a kidney urgently. For those people, they used to charge from 25 lakh to 1 crore. Many people have been victims of such crimes. There are many cases of victims being the brokers to fulfill their dreams. Doctors, brokers, government officials, politicians, and many more high-profile people are also involved in such crimes to earn money. There are many cases in which, due to the lack of proper work by doctors, kidney donors are living a difficult life.
There are many effects of having one kidney only. People who have one kidney can suffer from different diseases and problems, such as respiration problems, heart stroke, physical limitations, blood circulation problems, and many other diseases. Alcoholics who have one kidney have more risk than others because alcohol affects the liver and gives more load to the kidney, and alcoholics can die from kidney failures.
To conclude, the major problems for such crimes are due to a lack of education. The people of Hokshe Village are not educated, and they used to believe in others. Due to a lack of education and awareness, such crimes in rural areas are increasing. The government of Nepal should conduct different campaigns to educate and conduct awareness programs for such activities.
Reference:
https://kathmandupost.com/columns/2023/05/03/field-notes-from-nepal-s-single-kidney-village
