china has launched a national organ donation system to try to reduce its dependence on body parts harvested from executed prisoners.
the health ministry and red cross society of china want to encouraging the typically hesitant chinese population to donate organs after they die.
the move is the country's latest step to better regulate organ donation after it emerged that more than 65 per cent of donors come from death row - despite a 2007 agreement not to transplant organs from prisoners except into members of their immediate families.
new system: china's vice minister of health huang jiefu acknowledged that most organs used for transplants are taken from executed prisoners
new system: china's vice minister of health huang jiefu acknowledged that most organs used for transplants are taken from executed prisoners
the new system will link potential donors with recipients and make public a waiting list of patients to increase transparency and fairness in allocating organs.
the system, which launched on tuesday, has been set up in 10 provinces and cities, including shanghai, tianjin and xiamen, before being rolled out across the country.
the world health organisation and international human rights groups welcomed the new system, saying it was in line with best practices in other countries and would likely help meet the needs of all patients.
who official dr. luc noel said: 'we're eager to see the results and are very supportive.'
he said that china's 'reliance on organs from executed convicts was certainly not an option that could withstand time,' and was open to abuse.
nicholas bequelin of human rights watch, said china's dependence on death row inmates for organs was so high because there has been no system in place for organ donations.
'all organs had to come from somewhere,' he said. 'if you're a prisoner and you're about to be executed, you do not have a real choice, especially in a system ... [that] is completely untransparent and notorious for abuses against prisoners, as the chinese system is.'
china's vice health minister huang jiefu refused to confirm how many organ donations came from prisoners, but has acknowledged that most organs used for transplants are taken from executed prisoners - though only with prior consent.
condemned prisoners are 'definitely not a proper source for organ transplants,' the china daily newspaper quoted mr huang as saying.
organ transplantation in china has long been criticised as profit-driven and unethical, with critics arguing death row inmates may feel pressured to become donors, violating personal, religious or cultural beliefs.
voluntary donations in china remain far below demand, partly due to cultural bias against organ removal before burial.
only about 130 people have pledged to donate their organs since 2003, according to chen shonghua, an organ transplant expert with tongji hospital in shanghai
这个新体系将联系有可能捐献器官的人与受助人，并公开等候器官移植的患者名单，以增加器官分配的透明度和公平性。
星期二推出的这一体系已在包括上海、天津、厦门在内的10个省份和城市建立，之后向全国推广。
世界卫生组织和国际团体对这一新体系表示欢迎，称它符合其他国家的最佳做法，并可能有助于满足所有病人的需要。
世界卫生组织官员卢克·诺埃尔博士说：“我们渴望看到结果，对它十分支持。”
他说，中国“依赖死刑犯人的器官当然不是一种能够经受住时间考验的选择”，并且会为滥用这一选择敞开大门。
观察组织的尼古拉·别格林说，中国对死刑犯人器官的依赖如此之高，是因为没有建立器官捐赠制度。
“所有器官不得不来自某个地方，”他说，“假如一个犯人将被执行死刑，他就没有现实的选择了，特别是在一种制度……[它]是完全不透明的，在滥用囚犯器官上声名狼藉，就像中国的制度那样。”
中国卫生部副部长黄洁夫拒绝证实有多少器官是来自犯人的捐赠，但也承认，大部分用于移植的器官来自死刑犯人，尽管只是经过他们事先同意。
中国日报援引黄先生的话说，死囚“绝对不是器官移植的正确来源。”
中国的器官移植一直被批评为受利润驱动，是不道德的，评论家们认为，死刑犯人可能会迫于压力而成为器官捐献者，这违背了其本人、宗教或文化的信仰。
中国自愿捐献的器官依然远远低于需求，部分原因出于文化偏见，即反对在安葬前摘除器官。
据上海同济医院的器官移植专家陈松华（音）说，自2003年以来，只有约130人已经保证捐赠自己的器官。