http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia-pacific/2009/08/20098274291786521.html
Thursday, August 27, 2009
07:50 Mecca time, 04:50 GMT
China launches organ donor scheme
Most of China's current donor organ supply reportedly comes from
executed prisoners [GALLO/GETTY]
China is reportedly launching a new national organ donor scheme, aimed at
reducing the health system's current dependence on body parts taken from
executed prisoners.
According to the China Daily newspaper, currently more than 65 per cent of
organ donations come from executed convicts - a system that has been criticised
as unethical and profit driven.
Human rights groups have said prisoners are often pressured to become donors,
violating personal or religious beliefs.
The newspaper quoted Huang Jiefu, China's deputy health minister, as saying
prisoners are "definitely not a proper source for organ transplants".
According to Amnesty International, China is the world's most prolific
executioner with at least 7,000 people sentenced to death and 1,718 people
executed last year.
However last month Chinese state media quoted senior Chinese officials as
saying the government planned to cut down on the number of executions,
reserving capital punishment for only the most serious crimes.
Transparency
With the new donor system, launched by the health ministry and Chinese Red
Cross this week, health officials want to encourage traditionally hesitant
Chinese to sign up to donate their organs after they die.
Health officials face an uphill task convincing sceptical Chinese donors
[GALLO/GETTY]
The system, to be initially launched in 10 Chinese cities and provinces, will
reportedly link potential donors with recipients and operate a publicly
available waiting list of patients to increase transparency and fairness in
allocating organs.
But the introduction of new system could be problematic with many Chinese
against organ removal because of cultural reasons.
According to the China Daily, only about 130 people have pledged to donate
their organs since 2003.
Al Jazeera's Beijing correspondent Melissa Chan said the government faces an
uphill battle as it tries to implement the system nationwide, with a massive
information campaign to educate and promote organ donation among the Chinese
population
Dr Luc Noel, the World Health Organisation's top transplant official in Geneva,
praised the Chinese move, telling the Associated Press: "We're eager to see the
results and are very supportive."
Abuses
Noel said a few other countries also occasionally extract organs from executed
prisoners - a route, he said, opened the way for abuses.
Nicholas Bequelin, Asia researcher for Human Rights Watch, said China's
dependence on organs from death row had become so entrenched because there has
been no system in place for organ donations.
"All organ transplants had to come from somewhere," Bequelin 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."
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
