The South Giza prosecution renewed Tuesday the detaining of 16 suspects accused of organ trafficking in Abu Al-Nomrous, Giza, for 15 days pending investigation state media reported.
On Tuesday, the Egyptian Ministry of Interior announced arresting a cell of 12 suspects, accusing them of trading in human organs. The ministry said that the cell includes three doctors, four nursing staff members, three workers in hospitals, and two mediators. The cell agreed with Egyptians to sell their organs to foreign patients.
The ministry said that the security forces arrested the suspects during an operation to eradicate a part of a liver and a ren from a citizen in a private hospital, for $10,000.
On Saturday, the Ministry of Health denied in a statement, claims of organ trade in hospitals, saying that organ transplants take place according to strict legal procedures in licensed hospitals and is subject to meticulous monitoring.
The denial came as a response on a report prepared by German journalist Thilo Mischke, which said that Egypt was an attractive destination for medical tourism as it is cheaper than Europe. The report states on several instances that there is a growing demand among foreigners, and the increasing demand in the European market is behind the development of the business in an informal manner.
In December, General Prosecutor Nabil Sadek referred 41 defendants to the Criminal Court on accusations of human trafficking and trading of human organs. The total amount of money the defendants have gained from these crimes reaches more than EGP 20m, state media reported.
Twenty doctors working in public hospitals in the departments of urinary tract, general surgery, and anesthesia—as well as 10 nursing staff members, 9 mediators, and 2 workers in the blood bank—were accused of operating 29 surgery operations to transfer organs to some foreign patients, the report added.
The law regulating donating organs in condition that the host is a relative between the patient and the donor bans human organs trade.
