China Launches Reporting System to Better Regulate Organ Transplant

China's health authorities are working to better regulate the country's organ transplants by requiring medical centers to report each case within 72 hours after the operation.

The Ministry of Health says violators may have their medical licenses revoked.

Zhang Ru takes a closer look.

Zang Yunjing is vice director of the Institute of Liver Transplantation at the General Hospital of the Armed Police Forces in Beijing, one of China's 164 officially recognized organ transplant institutions. He says China's organ transplants rely on living or deceased donors.

"The biggest obstacle facing us is the shortage of organ donors. Some patients may die when waiting for a transplant."

Official data shows that currently about 1 million people in China need organ transplants each year and only 1 percent of these receive the organs needed.

The country's organ transplant regulation bans organ trafficking.

However, the shortage of donated organs has created a black market for organ trading. Driven by profits, some hospitals have reportedly carried out operations first for those who can afford to pay the highest price.

Song Ruliang, lawyer from Guangdong Lawsons Law office, and deputy director of the Medical Disputes Commission at the Guangzhou Lawyers Association,says the 72-hour limit makes it harder for hospitals to fool authorities by turning in false information.

"The reporting system can help the Ministry of Health acquire timely information of the country's organ transplants. Based on the information, the ministry can conduct follow-up reviews of the procedures of organ transplants by inspecting the identity of the donors and the outcome of the operations."

China's organ transplant operations started in the 1960s, about 10 years later than developed countries. In recent years, it has been stepping up efforts to regulate organ transplants.

Doctor Zang Yunjing says each hospital that is qualified to conduct organ transplants has a medical ethics committee to approve the transplants.

"The committee should review the qualification of organ donors including their age, health status and other identity information. It should also ensure that organs used for transplants are voluntarily donated."

China promulgated its organ transplant regulation in 2007. But Song Ruliang says the regulation itself can not effectively end all malpractices.

"For example, the regulation requires an evaluation of the medical institutions' ability of clinical application. But it doesn't elaborate on the standards of the evaluation. Also it doesn't cover how to determine the order of the waiting list for organ transplants."

Song Ruliang also says that to solve organ shortages, China should establish a brain death law.

The traditional Chinese attitude towards death is considered to be the moment when a person's heart and breathing stop. So a lot of potential organ donations are lost without a clear brain-death policy.

For CRI, I am Zhang Ru.