China is preparing to issue "in the near future" a document to regulate the developing organ transplant operation market, and the trading of human organs would be prohibited, according to a senior Ministry of Health official.

The upcoming regulations would highlight eight principles on organ transplant operations, covering the patient's will to take the operation voluntarily, his right to know in advance about the operation, the technological standards for access and non-commercialization, said Vice Minister Huang Jiefu.

Stressing the non-commercialization requirement, he reiterated the World Health Organization's guiding principle on organ transplants -- the human body and any part of it should not be subjected to trade. Putting up ads for buying organs for transplants and selling organs should be prohibited.

The world health body also forbids any individual or institution involved in organ transplants to claim payment other than a service charge.

The new regulations would embody all the principles and clearly stipulate that organs cannot be traded, Huang said at the Sixth International Liver Transplant Seminar on Friday.

The regulations would also outline that only medical institutions enjoying certain technological capabilities, staff and equipment will be allowed to enter the market.

Township clinics will be prohibited from performing organ transplants, Hu said.

"We'll not say that only one hospital can do the operation in one region, but we'll only allow those who are capable to do it by introducing a market access system."

The regulations will adopt two criteria to determine whether a person is dead and it is safe to transplant his or her organs to others: the heart stopping or brain death, according to the official.

(Xinhua News Agency June 5, 2005)