Deception Behind (Saudi's) Liver-Transplant Switch Proved to Be Fatal

[Rose Siding]

snip>
Lopez and Dr. Hector Ramos, his assistant director, transplanted the organ into another Saudi national 50 places behind him on the list, St. Vincent officials now acknowledge. The misallocation, reported by The Times last month, is a serious breach of the national code governing placement of donated organs.

Al-Harthi never knew any of this. He died less than a year later from liver cancer that had spread throughout his body. He was 59.
....
For months leading up to the inappropriate transplant, and for months afterward, the hospital misled Al-Harthi, his family and the Saudi Embassy in Washington about his prospects for a liver, according to letters and e-mails from hospital staff that were reviewed by The Times.

Although the motive behind the transplant switch remains a mystery, the tactic was clear: use one patient's position on the list to obtain an organ for somebody else. In doing so, the hospital bypassed not only Al-Harthi but dozens of other patients in Southern California whose conditions were deemed more dire than the recipient's.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-liver13oct13,1,4881832.story?coll=la-headlines-california

[Kagemusha]

1. If the motive wasn't money I will be well and truly shocked.

But reporters don't just say things like that in this era.

[DBoon]

2. or political connections?

who was the recipient who jumped queue? What were his connections?

Maybe political pressure (or the fear of political pressure) played a role.