ABU DHABI // Mr M is prepared to sell every organ in his body to give his six-year-old daughter a decent education and a comfortable life.
The 35-year-old Bangladeshi, who lives in Dhaka, has been trying to sell one of his kidneys for the past two years.
“I will do anything to give my daughter a good education,” he said. “She is the most valuable entity of my life and the best thing that ever happened to me. I want her to have a good life.”
Mr M homeschools his daughter because he cannot afford school fees. “I barely have enough money to put food on the table and to pay my bills,” he said.
Although he holds a university degree and has years of experience in retail, his middle-management job is not sufficient to cover his bills. His kidney, he said, is his only asset.
“I make about US$389 (Dh1,430) a month. Sometimes less. If my company pays me today then it will not pay me the next.”
Mr M has done the maths, and is offering his kidney for $175,000 (Dh642,250) online.
“Usually kidney patients require a minimum of two dialysis [treatments] a week,” he said. “Depends on his condition. And one dialysis costs around $400 to $500, which means $3,200 to $4,000 per month. Most of these patients have to spend around $40,000 a year for dialysis and medicines. And in developed countries, kidney patients are on waiting lists to receive a kidney transplant. At least 35 per cent of them are dying before they get a kidney. So $175,000 is not a lot if you consider the facts,” he said.
So far, no one has met his price.
“I’m prepared to wait as long as it takes till I find a buyer. There are many people who have contacted me from India, Spain and Germany who have offered to buy my kidney for up to €50,000 (Dh230,000), but that’s not enough for my family.”
salnuwais@thenational.ae
