A foreign media report claiming that the organs of executed
prisoners are being traded in China has been branded as
"irresponsible" by China's Health Ministry spokesman Mao
Qun’an.
The foreign media had fabricated the report to attack the
Chinese legal system, said Mao at a press conference. The report
failed to mention the efforts made by the Chinese government to
strengthen the regulation of organ transplants, Mao explained.
The Ministry of Health said earlier this year in response to
similar foreign media reports that the majority of organs in China
were voluntarily donated by ordinary citizens and a small number
came from executed criminals who voluntarily signed organ donation
forms.
It's estimated that annually two million Chinese require
transplants but only 20,000 operations are conducted because of a
shortage of organs.
Buying and selling of human organs was banned in China when a
new regulation came into effect on July 1. Strict rules have also
been imposed on human organ transplants in response to fierce
overseas criticism about China's involvement in this aspect of
medical treatment.?
The ministry is also drafting new rules to make organ donation
easier for people. This will standardize organ donation procedures
and encourage people to become donors.
With approximately 5,000 transplants carried-out each year China
is second in the world to the United States for such
operations.?.
(Xinhua News Agency October 11, 2006)