First segment of PROBE episode that aired on November 21, 2007 on ABS CBN.
Foreigners in need of cheaper medical attention and surgery have been flocking the country since the Philippine government launched its medical tourism program last year. Some 200,000 patients have entered the country in search not only of doctors’ attention but also of a crucial, scarce resource—kidneys from living, non-related donors.
In tonight’s episode, Pinky Webb investigates the increasing number of kidneys for sale that have attracted foreign buyers. She discovers and asks concerned government agencies why the one is to ten ratio of foreign to local kidney transplant patients has not been strictly followed.
Probe looks deeper into the organ donation system, which saves lives but at the same time unwittingly exploits the poorest of the poor. It echoes the question foremost in the minds of medical practitioners and concerned sectors: is medical tourism really helping Filipinos?
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