DUBAI // A debtor who owes Dh90,000 that he cannot pay says he will sell one of his kidneys to avoid prison.
"This is not something I want to do but it is the only way out," the man, who says his name is Mohammed, said yesterday.
He said his problems began two years ago when he took out a bank loan to help his brother to buy a bus. Six months later his brother was killed in an accident and the vehicle was written off.
Mohammed says he lost his job a year ago, and with it any means of paying his debts. "This is not something I want to do but it is the only way out. It's been a crisis for me and my family after the death of my brother. I have to take care of his family and mine. Eleven people depend on me.
"It will soon be exam time and I need money for their school. We don't have a house, my family moves from place to place."
Selling or trafficking in organs is a criminal offence, but an advertisement was posted in January on the classifieds website Dubizzle by someone trying to sell a kidney. Dubizzle later removed the ad.
Mohammed Al Zaabi, a liver transplant specialist at Zayed Military Hospital, said: "Even just advertising this is wrong.
"And if it were possible to sell it, I don't think any doctors here would do the surgery. It's strictly prohibited and if anyone did it they would be punished severely."
The rules on organ donation are strict. Donors must be living relatives and require extensive psychological testing before approval is given.
As a result, there is a long list of people waiting for organ transplants. Dr Al Zaabi said there were about 1,000 people on dialysis, although not all of them required a transplant.
Saeed Al Shaikh, a consultant haematologist at Welcare Hospital, said many people from the UAE travelled abroad for black-market transplants.
"The number of people who do this is huge," he said. "People travel to Pakistan, India, the Philippines and China.
"There's a lot of problems from people who are returning with those kidneys. They are done on the black market, in suboptimal conditions. There are people who have died under our care because of serious infections."
Dr Al Shaikh said he knew of at least two cases of patients who died while taking immuno-suppressants after a botched transplant.
"If they get an infection from a dirty kidney and their immune system has been suppressed, of course they'll get serious infections and die," he said.
The UAE is working on a law that would allow transplants from corpses. Dr Ali Al Obaidli, consultant nephrologist at Sheikh Khalifa Medical City, said the new law, which he is helping to draft, will go some way to removing the temptation to seek organs from overseas.
"When something is not allowed in this country, we need to give viable options for people," Dr Al Obaidli said.
Dr Luc Noel, head of transplantation at the World Health Organisation, said transplants from cadavers were a more viable option than the current arrangement.
"It's never innocuous to remove an organ from someone who's alive," Dr Noel said.
Dr Al Shaikh also welcomed the proposal, and said it would go some way to meeting the demand for organs.
"There are plenty of people who are dying every day and their valuable organs are buried with them, with no use to anybody," he said. "This law will help a lot of sick people.
"If even 10 per cent of people who die in road accidents donated their organs that would be sufficient to get a good programme going."
Meanwhile, Mohammed admits he is worried about getting into trouble with the law but he feels he has little choice.
"I have to try to do something for the children. I have tried to work hard but nothing has worked out.
"I don't want any trouble, I don't want to create any problems. If I get into any trouble my family will be ruined. It will be the end of us."
mcroucher@thenational.ae
* Additional reporting by Ramola Talwar Badam
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre 6-cyl turbo
Power: 374hp at 5,500-6,500rpm
Torque: 500Nm from 1,900-5,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.5L/100km
Price: from Dh285,000
On sale: from January 2022
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
Is it worth it? We put cheesecake frap to the test.
The verdict from the nutritionists is damning. But does a cheesecake frappuccino taste good enough to merit the indulgence?
My advice is to only go there if you have unusually sweet tooth. I like my puddings, but this was a bit much even for me. The first hit is a winner, but it's downhill, slowly, from there. Each sip is a little less satisfying than the last, and maybe it was just all that sugar, but it isn't long before the rush is replaced by a creeping remorse. And half of the thing is still left.
The caramel version is far superior to the blueberry, too. If someone put a full caramel cheesecake through a liquidiser and scooped out the contents, it would probably taste something like this. Blueberry, on the other hand, has more of an artificial taste. It's like someone has tried to invent this drink in a lab, and while early results were promising, they're still in the testing phase. It isn't terrible, but something isn't quite right either.
So if you want an experience, go for a small, and opt for the caramel. But if you want a cheesecake, it's probably more satisfying, and not quite as unhealthy, to just order the real thing.
Baby Driver
Director: Edgar Wright
Starring: Ansel Elgort, Kevin Spacey, Jamie Foxx, Lily James
Three and a half stars
Keep it fun and engaging
Stuart Ritchie, director of wealth advice at AES International, says children cannot learn something overnight, so it helps to have a fun routine that keeps them engaged and interested.
“I explain to my daughter that the money I draw from an ATM or the money on my bank card doesn’t just magically appear – it’s money I have earned from my job. I show her how this works by giving her little chores around the house so she can earn pocket money,” says Mr Ritchie.
His daughter is allowed to spend half of her pocket money, while the other half goes into a bank account. When this money hits a certain milestone, Mr Ritchie rewards his daughter with a small lump sum.
He also recommends books that teach the importance of money management for children, such as The Squirrel Manifesto by Ric Edelman and Jean Edelman.
Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
if you go
The flights
Etihad, Emirates and Singapore Airlines fly direct from the UAE to Singapore from Dh2,265 return including taxes. The flight takes about 7 hours.
The hotel
Rooms at the M Social Singapore cost from SG $179 (Dh488) per night including taxes.
The tour
Makan Makan Walking group tours costs from SG $90 (Dh245) per person for about three hours. Tailor-made tours can be arranged. For details go to www.woknstroll.com.sg
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
La Mer lowdown
La Mer beach is open from 10am until midnight, daily, and is located in Jumeirah 1, well after Kite Beach. Some restaurants, like Cupagahwa, are open from 8am for breakfast; most others start at noon. At the time of writing, we noticed that signs for Vicolo, an Italian eatery, and Kaftan, a Turkish restaurant, indicated that these two restaurants will be open soon, most likely this month. Parking is available, as well as a Dh100 all-day valet option or a Dh50 valet service if you’re just stopping by for a few hours.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The Matrix Resurrections
Director: Lana Wachowski
Stars: Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Jessica Henwick
Rating:****
