Colombia’s organ trade: Evidence from Bogotá and Medellín

What is it about?

This quantitative study seeks to determine why the underground organ commerce exists and thrives in Colombia, and how it responds to global donor shortages, public opposition and government initiatives to curtail it. Policy lessons and insights from the Colombian experience in organ donation and transplantation are identified in this study.

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Why is it important?

Empirical evidence from Bogotá and Medellín tends to indicate shared demographic characteristics between Colombian vendors and their counterparts in developing countries that are major destinations for organ trafficking. It offers a challenge for governments to look beyond the availability of legal and regulatory restraints and remedies. Why and how these can be effectively undermined by organ trade participants without necessarily affecting or reversing their economic behavior are pressing issues that demand immediate attention.