The health ministry of China has issued a temporary regulation on human organ transplantation, in an attempt to bring the illegal organ trade, under control and regulate transplantation of human organs. A new set of regulations regarding organ transplantation and donation would be introduced to ensure medical safety in the best interest of the patients.
The new regulation ban any kind of organ dealing between the donor and potential recipient. Additionally, the donor would be required to provide a written agreement, expressing his consent for organ donation, before the transplant surgery. The donor may also refuse to donate his organs, if he has second thoughts about the same.The ministry’s spokesman, Mao Qun'an said that the temporary regulations would be effective from the first of July. Medical institutions authorized to perform organ transplants would are required to register at provincial level health departments. Health care facilities with doctors qualified through a clinical organ transplant training; transplant related medical equipments; an efficient management system and an in-house medical ethics committee can apply for registration.
Medical institutions that have not registered for organ transplantation banned from performing transplant medical procedures. Furthermore, doctors qualified to perform organ transplants cannot practice in such unregistered hospitals.
The registration would be cancelled under two circumstances. One, if transplanted patients fail to survive for certain number of years. Second, if the registered medical facilities fail to qualify to pre-defined criteria. Additionally, those responsible would be punished.
The medical ethics committee of the hospital would have to undertake a discussion about all the potential transplants and confirm the legality of the organ donation, before the surgery can be allowed to take place. The approval of the medical ethics committee is mandatory before any organ transplant surgery.
Owing to the acute shortage of human organs in China, only about 20, 000 of the 2 million organ failure patients undergo transplant surgeries every year.
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