Reinhard K. has had a kidney disease for years, and his death is prevented by regular clinic visits with dialysis treatments. Now in his mid-forties, Reinhard has been waiting for years for a donor kidney, but in Germany, his chances are slim. When he decides to seek his fortune in India, he embarks on a medical adventure.
“Roundtrip Bombay” is a startling film about the poverty of the third world. In Bombay you can buy a kidney for 50 rupees, and private specialty hospitals accomplish a transplant in less than a week, which costs between 15,000 to 20,000 dollars. Doctors are often the brains of these black-market organizations. The donors, mostly young, unemployed slum dwellers are coerced into donating and are checked for weeks to ensure that the operations run smoothly. A visit to the slums and the bare plight of the potential donors shocks Reinhard, and he eventually returns to Germany without a new kidney …