Black Market of Human Organs: The Dark Side of Medical Tourism

Abstract

The illegal trade of human organs presents one of the most pressing contemporary challenges in global health governance, intersecting issues of poverty, criminal enterprise and medical ethics. This study explores the hidden world of organ trafficking in Pakistan, where vulnerable populations are systematically exploited by a nexus of brokers, medical professionals and corrupt authorities.

Employing a qualitative research design, the study integrates semi-structured interviews, ethnographic insights, court case analyses and NGO reports to triangulate data and uncover recurring socio-criminal patterns. Key findings reveal a consistent profile of economically marginalized donors, often lured by false promises or coerced under debt bondage. Their organs are sold to both domestic elites and foreign recipients, primarily from Gulf countries.

Notable case studies include the “Faisalabad Kidney Villages,” the State vs. Dr. Ali Raza case and covert operations in Rawalpindi—each exposing the structural violence embedded within these illicit networks. The research draws on a robust theoretical framework encompassing Structural Violence Theory (Farmer), Medical Capitalism, Routine Activity Theory (Cohen) and Transnational Organized Crime Theory.

Data were coded thematically using Braun and Clarke’s method, leading to the identification of dominant themes such as economic desperation, institutional failure, medical malpractice and transnational exploitation. Visual mapping and tabular summaries of seven real-life case files enhanced the analytic depth and provided empirically grounded conclusions. The use of methodological triangulation lends further credibility and academic rigor to the study.

Ultimately, this research reveals how the commodification of the human body in resource-poor settings is not merely a health issue but a profound human rights concern. The study calls for urgent legal, medical and ethical reforms, along with stricter enforcement of the Human Organ Transplant Authority (HOTA) Act. By centering the lived experiences of those affected, this thesis contributes to criminological and social science discourse and opens pathways for future research on bio-crime, global inequality and healthcare governance.

Keywords: Organ trafficking, medical tourism, structural violence, human rights, kidney trade, transnational crime, medical ethics, economic coercion, Pakistan, criminology, HOTA Act, qualitative research, institutional complicity, illegal transplantation.