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Afghans sell their kidneys for their family to survive
A large number of people in Afghanistan have had to sell their kidneys to survive the extreme poverty they suffer after the arrival of the Taliban on their land.
An inhabitant of Herat, the region with the greatest poverty in Afghanistan, told the AFP news agency that citizens have been cornered by the extreme poverty they suffer, for this reason they have had to make the complex decision to sell their organs.
"I had no choice. I had to do it for the future of my children," said Nooruddin, an Afghan man in debt and without a stable job.
The takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban in November 2021 has generated a strong economic crisis in this nation, which is why many families have had to resort to extreme and unusual measures to survive this situation.
Nooruddin, 32, explained that it all started when the Taliban entered his country and soon his salary was affected, falling to 32 dollars a month, which was not enough to support his wife and four children.
Selling the kidney was a quick fix for Nooruddin, who, faced with so much need, found no other way out.
In addition, the money he received was spent quickly, the back pain he now has is very strong and that is why he cannot now carry heavy things. The Afghan stated that he regrets his decision, since now the consequences of it are worse.
Nooruddin's family now lives off the work of their eldest son, who at just 12 years old works as a street shoe shiner and earns less than a dollar a day.
For his part, Professor Mohammad Wakil Matin, a former surgeon from Mazar-i-Sharif (in the north of the country), reported that in Herat there are only two hospitals that perform this type of procedure and there is no law that regulates or controls the donation or sale of organs, since "with the approval of the person it is enough to proceed with the operation", assured the doctor.
In Afghanistan there is no follow-up of people who have donated a kidney to survive, which makes their health condition increasingly complicated.
According to information provided by the UN, approximately 23 million Afghans, which represents 55% of the population, suffer from extreme hunger during this winter season. And almost nine million of these are threatened with death by famine.
