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)