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New scheme set to lead to increase in transplants
By Cai Wenjun |
May 5, 2011, Thursday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
A PILOT scheme aimed at allowing people to donate their organs should greatly increase the number of transplants that can be carried out, hospitals in Shanghai said.
The program, which started this month, allows the organs of people who die of "cardiac death" - where their heart stops beating - to be used in transplants, provided the person has registered as a donor and their family agrees, or the family decides to donate the organs.
Shanghai currently only permits body donations for medical research and teaching, with just corneas used for transplants. The law must be amended before donations can be accepted.
Doctors welcomed the program saying it can lead to a several-fold increase in organ transplants, solving a severe national shortage.
"The nation only conducts about 3,000 liver transplant operations a year, while many patients are waiting for organs," said Dr Xia Qiang from Renji Hospital. "We want organ donations to be launched soon."
The Ministry of Health said all major hospitals offering organ transplants can apply to provincial health authorities before May 30 for a one-year license to carry out surgery using donated organs.
Hospitals that perform 10 transplants in a year can apply for a qualification from the Organ Transplantation Committee, a group authorized to oversee donations nationwide.
Shanghai Red Cross is responsible for registering donors who currently wish to leave their body to science. They can now indicate if they would be prepared to donate their organs.
The local law on body donations is expected to be amended this year.
In anticipation, the Red Cross is working out plans covering registration and donation monitoring.
Subsidies may be paid by the authorities to needy families. This can include help with schooling, medical insurance or cash.
Shanghai has 11 hospitals permitted to carry out kidney, liver or heart transplants. Only Zhongshan Hospital is qualified to carry out all three types.
"It is good news that the ministry has started this program," said Dr Fan Jia, vice president of Zhongshan Hospital.
Though China performs the second-highest number of organ transplants in the world, after the United States, the need is much larger. There are about 1.5 million Chinese patients waiting for organ transplants every year, but only about 10,000 transplants take place, according to official estimates.
The program, which started this month, allows the organs of people who die of "cardiac death" - where their heart stops beating - to be used in transplants, provided the person has registered as a donor and their family agrees, or the family decides to donate the organs.
Shanghai currently only permits body donations for medical research and teaching, with just corneas used for transplants. The law must be amended before donations can be accepted.
Doctors welcomed the program saying it can lead to a several-fold increase in organ transplants, solving a severe national shortage.
"The nation only conducts about 3,000 liver transplant operations a year, while many patients are waiting for organs," said Dr Xia Qiang from Renji Hospital. "We want organ donations to be launched soon."
The Ministry of Health said all major hospitals offering organ transplants can apply to provincial health authorities before May 30 for a one-year license to carry out surgery using donated organs.
Hospitals that perform 10 transplants in a year can apply for a qualification from the Organ Transplantation Committee, a group authorized to oversee donations nationwide.
Shanghai Red Cross is responsible for registering donors who currently wish to leave their body to science. They can now indicate if they would be prepared to donate their organs.
The local law on body donations is expected to be amended this year.
In anticipation, the Red Cross is working out plans covering registration and donation monitoring.
Subsidies may be paid by the authorities to needy families. This can include help with schooling, medical insurance or cash.
Shanghai has 11 hospitals permitted to carry out kidney, liver or heart transplants. Only Zhongshan Hospital is qualified to carry out all three types.
"It is good news that the ministry has started this program," said Dr Fan Jia, vice president of Zhongshan Hospital.
Though China performs the second-highest number of organ transplants in the world, after the United States, the need is much larger. There are about 1.5 million Chinese patients waiting for organ transplants every year, but only about 10,000 transplants take place, according to official estimates.
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