Organ transplants from prisoners to end
Source: Xinhua |
March 23, 2012, Friday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
CHINA has pledged to abolish the practice of taking human organs from condemned prisoners for transplants within three to five years, a senior health official said yesterday.
China is creating a national organ donation system to reduce its reliance on organ donations from death row inmates and encourage donations from the public, Huang Jiefu, vice health minister, told a conference in east China's Hangzhou.
To achieve this goal, trials have been launched in 16 of the Chinese mainland's 31 provincial-level regions, Huang said.
"The pledge to abolish organ donations from condemned prisoners represents the resolve of the government," he said.
Health officials have said insufficient organ donations by the public mean that the majority of transplanted organs in China come from executed prisoners - but only with prior consent.
Statistics from the Ministry of Health show that about 1.5 million people in China need transplants, but only some 10,000 transplants are performed annually.
China has advocated the prudent use of the death penalty over the past few years, which has led to a decrease in donations from prisoners.
Huang also said that infection rates for condemned prisoners' organs were usually high and the long-term survival rates for recipients were always below those of people in other countries.
Earlier in 2007, the State Council issued its first regulations on human organ transplants, banning organizations and individuals from trading human organs in any form.
A revision to China's Criminal Law, adopted in February last year, marked the first time authorities had singled out criminal activity related to transactions involving human organs.
Criminals convicted of "forced organ removal, forced organ donation or organ removal from juveniles" face homicide charges as a result of the revision. People convicted of organizing illegal organ sales could receive a maximum prison sentence of five years, while more serious cases could result in longer sentences.
China is creating a national organ donation system to reduce its reliance on organ donations from death row inmates and encourage donations from the public, Huang Jiefu, vice health minister, told a conference in east China's Hangzhou.
To achieve this goal, trials have been launched in 16 of the Chinese mainland's 31 provincial-level regions, Huang said.
"The pledge to abolish organ donations from condemned prisoners represents the resolve of the government," he said.
Health officials have said insufficient organ donations by the public mean that the majority of transplanted organs in China come from executed prisoners - but only with prior consent.
Statistics from the Ministry of Health show that about 1.5 million people in China need transplants, but only some 10,000 transplants are performed annually.
China has advocated the prudent use of the death penalty over the past few years, which has led to a decrease in donations from prisoners.
Huang also said that infection rates for condemned prisoners' organs were usually high and the long-term survival rates for recipients were always below those of people in other countries.
Earlier in 2007, the State Council issued its first regulations on human organ transplants, banning organizations and individuals from trading human organs in any form.
A revision to China's Criminal Law, adopted in February last year, marked the first time authorities had singled out criminal activity related to transactions involving human organs.
Criminals convicted of "forced organ removal, forced organ donation or organ removal from juveniles" face homicide charges as a result of the revision. People convicted of organizing illegal organ sales could receive a maximum prison sentence of five years, while more serious cases could result in longer sentences.
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