The marketing of human organs is condemned in most places, but the practice continues to grow among rich Western patients who cannot obtain the needed organs in their own countries. In many third world countries, poor individuals are prepared to sell an organ in exchange for an amount equivalent to several years’ wages.

Although it remains relatively taboo, Pakistan is one of the few countries where the organ trade is not illegal. Organs for Sale shares the story of Jim, a young father whose health has been deteriorating rapidly during the six years he has been waiting for a kidney. He believes he can wait no longer and uses the internet to find a donor. Paying several thousand dollars, he travels to a foreign land to receive a hazardous operation from unfamiliar doctors.

Using hidden cameras, the film follows Jim and his wife’s three-week journey up to and following the surgery. They meet with other Pakistani donors, many of whom regret their decision to donate, as they do not received post-operative care and often have health problems afterwards.

Jim's successful transplant allows him to look forward to a normal, healthy life and leaves his donor with enough money to buy a plot of land and build a house. Organs for Sale is a balanced, sympathetic look at the struggles of both parties, and the myriad complications of this challenging bio-ethical problem.

"Highly Recommended. Organs for Sale discloses the growing practice of those desperate to buy organs and of the economically poor ripe for exploitation."
‒Emarosa Tominich, Trocaine College Library, Buffalo, New York, for Educational Media Reviews Online