China's State Council passed a draft regulation on Thursday,
tightening controls on human organ transplants and setting
parameters for live organ donations.
The draft regulation, approved during a regular meeting of the
cabinet, says that any organization or individual is prohibited
from harvesting organs donated by live Chinese citizen under 18
years old.
It also bans human organ trading, saying that the donation of
organs should respect the will of donors and be conducted
voluntarily.
In addition, the regulation offers protections for organ donors,
recipients of organs, and medical staff, while instituting
supervisory measures for medical institutes that perform
transplants.
China is facing a medical quagmire due to an excess of patients
in need of functional organs, coupled with limited donations. About
1.5 million patients require organ transplants each year, but only
10,000 can find a viable donor, according to statistics from the
Ministry of Health.
The draft regulation was written in accordance with standard
global medical ethics and the World Health Organization's basic
rules on human organ transplants, says a statement issued by the
State Council on Thursday.
Most organs in China are donated by people upon their death
after signing a voluntary agreement. Medical experts believe that
if doctors were allowed to harvest organs from patients declared
"brain-dead," the organ supply could be increased
significantly.
However, the traditional Chinese view of "living till the last
breath" has prevented this type of practice from being
legalized.
(Xinhua News Agency March 23, 2007)