Nepal villagers duped into selling kidneys and told organ would regrow – now country faces new health crisis
In the foothills of the Himalayas, two men lift their shirts to reveal wide scars on their bodies.
Both aged in their 40s, they appear self-conscious – even embarrassed – but they want to share their story.
The men – called Kanchha and Ram – sold their kidneys, driven by financial desperation. Kanchha is still in pain and unable to work because of the side effects from the surgery.
“It’s impossible to count how many have done it,” he says. “Everywhere, this village, that village, so many people have sold their kidneys.”
Ram and Kanchha show their scars
The tell-tale scar, evidence of kidney removal
The village of Hokse in Nepal has a unique and exceptionally troubled history. It’s known as Kidney Valley because someone from almost every household has sold a kidney.
Brokers have been visiting the area for years, persuading people to part with an organ, despite the fact it’s illegal.
Locals have desperately tried to shake that infamy in recent years – they feel duped, damaged by it. Some say they were exploited, some claim they were even told their kidneys would regrow. Some have died as a result of what was done to their bodies.
And now tragically, poverty is fuelling another health crisis in Nepal – with kidneys again at the heart of it.
The village of Hokse in Nepal is known as Kidney Valley
Increasing numbers of Nepalis have chosen to work overseas in the Gulf States and Malaysia to make more money for their families back home. But that’s come with its own jeopardy.
Young, once healthy men are returning to Nepal in desperate need of a kidney transplant. Some scientists say it is the result of exposure to extreme heat and severe dehydration.
Suman showed Sky News his scar
A few years ago, Suman, 31, was so broken financially and emotionally, he considered ending his life. He felt he had “no option” but to travel to India to sell his kidney to a woman pretending to be his sister.
It was a physically excoriating process that has scarred him. He was paid £3,000.
“I felt weak and I lost consciousness,” he says. “When I woke up, it was really hurting. Now I can’t work and I try to tell anyone I can, not to sell their kidney.”
Suman speaks to Sky News
Sky News visited the village of Hokse
Suman was not certain if the doctor knew what he was doing but Indian law is clear – donors must be related and they must present the relevant paperwork.
Organ trafficking remains a major concern in India. It is fuelled by a wide gap in demand and supply.
The lack of donors has given rise to a black market, with doctors and hospitals among those exposed in investigations into “cash for kidney” rackets.
But it is not unique to India. Estimates suggest that globally, one in 10 transplanted organs have been trafficked.
“The agents made fake documents in Kathmandu, including Indian ID cards,” says Kanchha, who also sold his kidney in India.
“My kidney was given to a fake sister. I think the doctor in India knew I’d sold it.”
In Hokse, locals insist no-one sells their kidneys any more – but some are still taking extreme risks to try to improve their lives.
Jit Bahadur Gurung has dialysis three times a week
Jit Bahadur Gurung spent three years working in Saudi Arabia. Aged just 29, he’s had four hours of dialysis – which he does three times a week – at the National Kidney Center in Kathmandu.
He looks fatigued and withdrawn.
“I had to work in extreme heat – around 50 degrees,” he says. “We didn’t have time to have lunch, go to the toilet or drink water.”
Describing the moment he realised something was wrong, he says: “I was overheating. Suddenly I felt my feet swelling and I couldn’t walk. Then I was told my kidney had failed.”
People have been left needing dialysis
On the dialysis ward
Symptoms of kidney failure can often go unnoticed and by the time migrant workers arrive back in Nepal, it’s often too late.
Jit is desperate for a donor. But the donor has to be a relative and there aren’t enough positive matches.
Ishwor is 34 and still searching for his lifeline. He says he worked 16-hour days for seven years in Dubai.
“I was working long hours in high heat without sleep,” he says. “My body started to swell up like I’d been beaten.”
Symptoms of kidney failure can go unnoticed
Dr Pukar Shresth, a pioneering and renowned surgeon at the Human Organ Transplant Center in Nepal, used to only perform transplants on the elderly, but has recently seen young people with scarred and shrunken kidneys.
He noticed a pattern – young men going to work in high heat, with little water and returning with “completely failed kidneys”.
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“It is very grave because about one third of all transplants are these labour migrant workers who have come from abroad,” he says.
“This has caused a huge burden to our health resources health facility because they account for more than 30% of the total transplant number in our country.”
It’s a disproportionate figure since overseas workers represent around 14% of the Nepali population.
Dr Shrestha believes education is key – informing young men going overseas about the importance of having water, taking breaks and a good diet.
Young men are returning with damaged kidneys
A young doctor working alongside him is collecting critical data about where the men have been and what conditions they faced. The men have to have medical tests before they can travel abroad for work, which is why it’s believed they were in good health previously.
The fact is they feel forced to work in some of the world’s hottest places and they have very little agency.
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While some countries like Qatar have reduced the hours people can work in the sun, Nepalis’ suffering hasn’t stopped.
Multiple studies have shown the risk of extreme heat in the Gulf States has only escalated in recent years due to climate change.
And a recent report by Human Rights Watch stated migrant workers are mistreated and viewed as “disposable”.
The hospitals of Nepal are a stark warning shot about the dangers of a warming world and the heavy price being paid by those at the coalface.
Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org in the UK. In the US, call the Samaritans branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK
Additional reporting by Rachael Thorn, Asia producer
World
Russia calls meeting with UK ambassador after Lord Cameron says Ukraine ‘has right’ to strike inside Russia with UK weapons
Russia has warned that Ukrainian strikes on its territory with UK-supplied weapons could bring retaliatory attacks against British military facilities and equipment on Ukrainian soil or elsewhere.
During a trip to Kyiv last week, Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron said Ukraine “absolutely has the right” to strike back at targets inside Russia using British-supplied weapons.
Russia’s foreign ministry said the UK’s ambassador to Moscow had been “summoned” to make him “reflect on the inevitable catastrophic consequences of such hostile steps by London”.
The UK’s Foreign Office, however, contested the claim saying the ambassador had not been “summoned” but he had just taken part in a diplomatic meeting with ministry officials.
British ambassador Nigel Casey was called in for a formal protest, the Russian foreign ministry claimed, as it said Lord Cameron’s remarks recognised that Britain – which has given Ukraine billions of pounds worth of weapons to defend itself in the war against Russia – was now de-facto a part of the conflict.
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“Casey was warned that in response to Ukrainian attacks on Russian territory with British weapons, any British military facilities and equipment on the territory of Ukraine and abroad could be targeted,” the foreign ministry said.
“The ambassador was called upon to reflect on the inevitable catastrophic consequences of such hostile steps by London and immediately refute the belligerent provocative statements of the head of the Foreign Office in the most decisive and unambiguous way.”
A UK Foreign Office spokesperson said in a statement: “The British Ambassador was not summoned. He met Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials for a diplomatic meeting.
“The Ambassador reiterated the UK’s support for Ukraine in the face of unprovoked Russian aggression, and restated the UK’s position on providing support to Ukraine.”
During Lord Cameron’s visit to Ukraine last week, the foreign secretary reiterated Britain’s unwavering support for Ukraine, whose troops have been fighting Russia’s invasion since the Kremlin launched its “special military operation” in February 2022.
“Ukraine has that right. Just as Russia is striking inside Ukraine, you can quite understand why Ukraine feels the need to make sure it’s defending itself,” Lord Cameron said.
Senior Israeli officials have been threatening a major military operation into the city of Rafah and surrounding areas in southern Gaza for weeks.
On Sunday, Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant warned it could take place “imminently” as talks on a ceasefire with Hamas fizzled-out in Cairo.
Now, they have taken a major step towards it.
War latest: Families flee Rafah as IDF orders 100,000 to evacuate
On Monday morning, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) released a statement instructing people in southeastern Gaza to advance towards an “expanded humanitarian area” to the north, centred around the city of Khan Younis, and a coastal community called Al-Mawasi.
The IDF said it “includes field hospitals, tents and increased amounts of food, water, medication and additional supplies”.
The claim will be greeted with scepticism by international aid agencies that have argued the Israelis have failed to do enough to facilitate such aid.
Civilians are being told to move to an ‘expanded humanitarian area’ to the north
The UN’s refugee agency in Gaza, UNRWA, immediately questioned the operation on X.
UNRWA said an offensive “would mean more civilian suffering and deaths” and that “the consequences would be devastating for 1.4 million people”.
The vast majority of people living in southern Gaza have already been displaced by the fighting further north.
And in what represents a significant juncture, the Israelis are instructing them to return to areas that have already badly damaged in this conflict.
Israel has been dropping evacuation leaflets from the air. Pic: AP
Khan Younis was placed under siege by the IDF in January and many neighbourhoods have been partially – or completely – destroyed.
However, there are no doubts about the Israelis’ intent.
Leaflets are now being dropped in southeastern Gaza, stating: “Anyone in the area puts themselves and their family members in danger. For your safety, evacuate immediately….”
Aerial strikes have caused havoc – but there are fears a ground attack would be even worse. Pic: Reuters
With this operation, Israel would test the very limits of support that it receives from Western countries like the US, the UK and members of the European Union.
Last week, US secretary of state Antony Blinken suggested an incursion into Rafah was a step too far, warning the Israelis had yet to produce “a clear, credible plan to protect civilians”.
Until it does, Mr Blinken said Washington “cannot and will not support a major military operation” in the area.
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Now, Israel’s chief ally and military backer will have to formulate a response, one which requires them to evaluate the nature and extent of this complicated relationship.
But it seems Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his war cabinet have made up their minds.
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