At the National Human Organ Transplant Technology Clinical
Application Summit, Vice Minister of Health Huang Jiefu said that
organ transplantation in China should first meet the needs of
Chinese nationals, including those from Hong Kong, Macao and
Taiwan.
China strictly forbids domestic medical institutions to lure
foreigners to come to China for organ transplantation in the name
of tourists, with the sole aim of profiting from such operations.
If there is really the need, foreigners should first file
applications and run through necessary procedures before they take
such operations, the People's Daily reported.
In the guiding principles of the World Health Organization, it
is clearly stated that human organ transplants should first serve
domestic nationals. Like other countries, China also faces a severe
shortage of human organ sources. In China, about 1.5 million people
have the need to take organ transplant operations due to their
organ failure. However, only 10,000 people can really take the
operation.
(chinanews November 17, 2006)