London Hospital Allegedly Selling Livers

A major London hospital has allegedly made millions of dollars selling livers to foreigners in need of a transplant, The Mail on Sunday says.

The British newspaper reported that King’s College Hospital has performed 50 liver transplants in the last five years, allegedly charging patients nearly $150,000 apiece.

Of those patients having liver transplants at the reputable hospital, 22 were from Kuwait or the United Arab Emirates, the British publication said.

The alleged organ sales come as current British laws require all hospitals to offer livers to any British or European Union patients before offering them to patients outside the international organization.

Dr. Yaqoub Altammar of the Kuwait Embassy in London said while that policy should be in place, he questioned whether it should be altered to stop “unsuitable” livers from going overseas.

“We know and agree with the transplant system here and we need that system,” he told the Mail.

“But that doesn’t mean we agree with the fact a liver deemed unsuitable for a UK or EU patient is then given to a Kuwaiti. If that’s the case, we have real concerns.”