Health authorities denied yesterday accusations that China
removes organs from prisoners on death row to use in for transplant
surgery. .
At a press conference yesterday, Ministry of Health spokesman
Mao Qun'an, said that organs used in transplant surgery came from
voluntary donations made by citizens.
"For a fraction of inmates who have committed serious crimes and
are awaiting the death penalty body organs could be used but only
if they sign a medical release document or if their families
approve," he said. "It also needs the approval of the appropriate
administrative and judiciary departments after strict scrutiny has
been conducted."
Mao said the process is the same as if the donation was made by
an ordinary citizen in advance. He accused some foreign media
outlets yesterday of fabricating the news and misinforming the
public.
The Ministry of Health issued a long-awaited regulation on human
organ transplants late last month which explicitly bans the sale of
body parts and requires written permission from donors. It also
introduced medical guidelines for such procedures. ?
"One of the biggest problems in regulating organ transplants in
our country is that supervision is scant," Mao admitted.
Potentially there were significant risks for some patients if
appropriate standards and controls did not accompany the new
medical procedures, he added.
(China Daily April 11, 2006)