There are so many aspects to the organ and tissue transplant crisis in the CCSS. As of August 9, the Prosecutor’s Office is investigating the alleged illicit trafficking of organs in the Hospital México. It is being processed under Trafficking in Persons without a specific subject for the moment. The hospital refers all questions to the Prosecutor’s Office.
Two years ago, the head of nephrology at the Hospital Calderón Guardia was sentenced to 12 years in prison for the crime of trafficking in persons for the purpose of illicit removal of kidneys. A Greek merchant was convicted of the same offense.
Other parts of the crisis include a drop in the number of transplants and subsequent increase in deaths of those waiting on transplants, extremely high numbers of deaths following liver transplants, and the waste of kidneys do to a payment issue for surgical teams.
The Ministry of Health has given the CCSS a sanitary order with 25 business days to bring order to transplant management.
