First shown in April 2004

Across Britain today 20,000 people are in desperate need of a new kidney – yet last year only 1,700 received one. Transplant tourism is surging as people realise that, if they travel to South Africa, India or the USA, they can illegally buy a life-saving kidney from a living donor. Some countries are on the verge of legalising payments to donors, while others are clamping down harder than ever.

But who is the victim and who is the villain in the trade - the seller, the buyer or the broker? Is it right that individuals should help others sell a part of their body? Should the transplant trade be legalised? Whose right is it to say who can and cannot sell a part of their own body, and why can't a dying person choose to buy an organ to save their life?

These issues are explored in the documentary The Transplant Trade. The presenters travel across five continents to meet those searching for an organ, those who are selling body parts for hard cash and the brokers who make the transplant trade turn over.

In the UK in 2002, 247 people died while waiting for a kidney transplant.  In Spain, where there is an opt-out rather than an opt-in donor scheme in place, nobody did.  With the final reading of the Human Tissues Act due to take place shortly, the government has a chance to solve Britain's organ shortfall – but there are concerns about whether this will be achieved.  Studies show that around 90% of the population would be willing to donate organs after their death, yet only 18.6% of people are registered on the NHS Organ Donor Register.

For more information about organ donation, transplantation and related issues, such as finding out how to become an organ donor yourself, check out the following links:

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