The Transplantation Society embraces the national program for diseased organ donation in China
—TTS President Francis L. Delmonico’s China Trip
Here is the message that I still believe as the president of The Transplantation Society: organ transplantation saves lives; let us join hands to support organ donation.
-- Francis L. Delmonico, MD
During late October and early November, 2013, Dr. Francis L. Delmonico, the president of The Transplantation Society (TTS), visited China with the mission to support China’s new program for organ donation and transplantation.
On October 29, 2013, Dr. Delmonico met with Minister Bin Li of the National Health and Family Planning Commission (NHFPC) of the People’s Republic of China in Beijing, China. During the meeting, Minister Li talked about the five-point plan for organ donation and transplantation under the authority of the NHFPC. This plan was highly commended by Dr. Delmonico. “It is indeed proper, practical and could be successful. It is particularly China-cultured… This would be a change, a new innovative program of donation transplant in China”, he said. During the meeting, Minister Li also expressed her wish to have support from TTS for the improvement and contribution enhancement of China’s transplantation. Dr. Delmonico responded that “TTS embraces the implementation of the new program. We will come to Hangzhou, bringing the support of TTS to the Hangzhou Resolution”.
Dr. Delmonico also revealed that during his meeting with Minister Li in Beijing, he had proposed that NHFPC convene a meeting of the international transplant community in Beijing, China in June 2014 with the participation of the World Health Organization (WHO) to endorse the changing practice of organ donation and transplantation in China. He emphasized that the 2014 conference would be a China-leadership conference, and that it was very important to have the WHO, international transplant community and great Chinese professionals all on the same stage with the same objective. The proposal was accepted by Minister Li and plans are now underway to develop such a Congress.
The next stop for Dr. Delmonico’s China trip is the city of Hangzhou. In the morning of November 2, 2013, Dr. Delmonico gave a presentation at the 2013 China National Transplantation Congress in People’s Great Hall of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, China, which was organized by the Chinese Organ Transplant Association. During the presentation, Dr. Delmonico mentioned the fact that papers from Chinese colleagues have been rejected by medical literature because the international community has hesitated about the publication of data or the presentation by Chinese professionals using organs from executed prisoners. This situation is going to change with the implementation of China’s new program. Dr. Delmonico promised that as the officer of TTS, he, together with Profs. Phil O’Connell, John Fung, Michael Millis and Ron Busuttil, would correspond with the editors of the major medical journals to convey the name of those individuals who had made their commitment on behalf of their transplant center and would no longer use organs from executed prisoners. TTS will request that the editorial boards of these journals be receptive to review manuscripts submitted from these professionals and transplant centers based upon scientific merit and clinical impact and not otherwise summarily reject a submitted paper because of the centers past practice of using organs from executed prisoners. Furthermore, TTS wishes to embrace the participation of such professionals at international congresses and initiate academic interaction with TTS leaders.
In the afternoon of November 2, 2013, Dr. Delmonico witnessed the announcement of the Hangzhou Resolution in People’s Great Hall of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, China. Before the announcement ceremony, Dr. Delmonico gave his address to the transplant community of China: “I am here with the leader of TTS, with president elect of the society, with Prof. John Fung, the treasure of the society, Prof. Michael Millis, who has been very much involved in writings about the new program… Many transplant centers are now committed to embrace the Minister’s program that we endorse, by stop using organs from prisoners. This is an extraordinary occasion. These centers today will sign the commitment, giving their commitment to the five-point plan. To those respected colleagues, TTS wishes them to be members…” Dr. Delmonico finished his address by thanking Jiefu Huang, the head of China Organ Transplant Committee (OTC), for his leadership in making a commitment and urging China professionals for doing the same.
Acknowledgements
Disclosure: The authors declare no conflict of interest.
