The ministry also ordered medical institutions with organ transplant qualifications to enhance supervision of their medical staff and prohibited the staff from performing such operations in hospitals without organ transplant qualifications.

China has been making efforts to improve its regulations on organ transplants.

Earlier in 2007, China's State Council, or Cabinet, issued its first regulations on human organ transplants, banning organizations and individuals from trading human organs in any form.

China's newly revised Criminal Law, which the top legislature adopted in February of this year, is the first to enumerate crimes related to transactions in human organs.

Criminals convicted of "forced organ removal, forced organ donation or organ removal from juveniles" could face punishment for homicide.

Those convicted of organizing people to sell human organs could receive a prison term of a maximum of five years and fine, while those involved in serious cases could serve a term of more than five years.

Currently, 163 hospitals in China have the authority to carry out organ transplant operations.