China to enact new organ donation system next year
Source: Agencies |
November 3, 2012, Saturday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
CHINA will start phasing out its reliance on organs from executed prisoners for transplants next year as a new donation system is implemented, the nation's chief researcher of organ transport response system has said.
A transplantation system that uses mostly organs from death-row prisoners is neither ethical nor sustainable, Wang Haibo said in an interview in the November edition of the World Health Organization's journal Bulletin.
An organ donation system run by the Red Cross Society of China has been piloted for two years in 16 regions and is scheduled to be rolled out nationwide by early 2013, he said.
About 1.5 million people are on the waiting list for organ transplant in China each year, but only about 10,000 of them may get a donated organ, health authorities have said.
"Now there is consensus among China's transplant community that the new system will relinquish the reliance on organs from executed convicts," Wang was quoted as saying. "The implementation of the new national system will start early next year at the latest. This will also mark the start of phasing out the old practice."
Wang was appointed last year by the Ministry of Health to lead the China Organ Transplant Response System Research Center, which is researching and designing a system to fairly and efficiently allocate organs to people who need them.
Vice Minister of Health Huang Jiefu told Xinhua news agency that China will abolish the transplanting of organs from executed prisoners within five years and try to spur more citizens to donate.
In 2006, Huang, who is in charge of organ donation and transplantation in China, stated publicly to the transplant community that China cannot continue to rely on the organs of prisoners and that it was time for China to move on and develop an ethical and sustainable organ donation system.
Many major transplant countries used the organs from executed prisoners during the early days of their own organ transplantation services. But with social progress, this unethical practice was discontinued and they started to develop national donation systems that addressed the need for transplant organs, Wang said.
In 2007, the human organ transplant regulation was passed by the State Council of China.
"This is a crucial piece of legislation for the development of a transplantation system for the Chinese people who need organ transplants," Wang said.
Wang said he is upbeat about the success of the new system.
"Although it took decades to establish a sophisticated national organ donation system in Western countries, I am optimistic that China can leapfrog to success in a relatively short period of time given the combination of governmental support and international experience," he said.
Organ transplantation in China has long been criticized in the West as "opaque, profit-driven and unethical." Critics argue death row inmates may feel pressured to become donors, violating personal or cultural beliefs.
China's trial of a national organ donation system aimed at reducing the country's dependence on death row inmates for organs was welcomed by international health and human rights groups.
When asked about the barriers to implementing the program, Wang said China doesn't have a legislation on brain death as in Western countries, which "makes it difficult - but not impossible - for us to do organ donation after death."
A transplantation system that uses mostly organs from death-row prisoners is neither ethical nor sustainable, Wang Haibo said in an interview in the November edition of the World Health Organization's journal Bulletin.
An organ donation system run by the Red Cross Society of China has been piloted for two years in 16 regions and is scheduled to be rolled out nationwide by early 2013, he said.
About 1.5 million people are on the waiting list for organ transplant in China each year, but only about 10,000 of them may get a donated organ, health authorities have said.
"Now there is consensus among China's transplant community that the new system will relinquish the reliance on organs from executed convicts," Wang was quoted as saying. "The implementation of the new national system will start early next year at the latest. This will also mark the start of phasing out the old practice."
Wang was appointed last year by the Ministry of Health to lead the China Organ Transplant Response System Research Center, which is researching and designing a system to fairly and efficiently allocate organs to people who need them.
Vice Minister of Health Huang Jiefu told Xinhua news agency that China will abolish the transplanting of organs from executed prisoners within five years and try to spur more citizens to donate.
In 2006, Huang, who is in charge of organ donation and transplantation in China, stated publicly to the transplant community that China cannot continue to rely on the organs of prisoners and that it was time for China to move on and develop an ethical and sustainable organ donation system.
Many major transplant countries used the organs from executed prisoners during the early days of their own organ transplantation services. But with social progress, this unethical practice was discontinued and they started to develop national donation systems that addressed the need for transplant organs, Wang said.
In 2007, the human organ transplant regulation was passed by the State Council of China.
"This is a crucial piece of legislation for the development of a transplantation system for the Chinese people who need organ transplants," Wang said.
Wang said he is upbeat about the success of the new system.
"Although it took decades to establish a sophisticated national organ donation system in Western countries, I am optimistic that China can leapfrog to success in a relatively short period of time given the combination of governmental support and international experience," he said.
Organ transplantation in China has long been criticized in the West as "opaque, profit-driven and unethical." Critics argue death row inmates may feel pressured to become donors, violating personal or cultural beliefs.
China's trial of a national organ donation system aimed at reducing the country's dependence on death row inmates for organs was welcomed by international health and human rights groups.
When asked about the barriers to implementing the program, Wang said China doesn't have a legislation on brain death as in Western countries, which "makes it difficult - but not impossible - for us to do organ donation after death."
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
