Where will the China’s organ transplantation move towards?

“Starting from January 1, 2015, China would end its reliance on the organs of executed prisoners for transplantation, which means that voluntary organ donations by the public after their death will become the only source of organ donations”, said by Jiefu Huang, director of the China Organ Donation and Transplantation Committee and a former vice minister in the Ministry of Health, at the 2014 China Organ Procurement Organization League’s Kunming Seminar on December 4, 2014.

However, some experts hold a negative opinion, such as the Asia deputy director of the New York Human Rights Watch, Phelim Kine, stated that “it is extremely suspicious whether China can cut off its reliance on the death row inmates’ organ in the future.”

This revolution of organ harvesting system in China has aroused mixture responses from the experts among the world. The journal HepatoBiliary Surgery and Nutrition (HBSN) has invited some renowned experts and authorities across the world to share their opinions with us. Prof. Gabriel M. Danovitch, Co-Chair of Declaration of Istanbul Custodian Group and Prof. Francis L. Delmonico, Executive Director of Declaration of Istanbul Custodian Group, fervently hope that Chinese government will successfully cease using organs from the executed prisoners. They also recommend that establishing organ donation agencies be urgently required during this process (1). Prof. Vivekanand Jha, Executive Director of George Institute for Global Health, adopts a positive attitude towards the fight against malpractices around organ donation in China. He insists that a number of courageous Chinese colleagues deserve continued support and believes that organ procurement from executed prisoners would be successfully abolished eventually (2). Prof. Rudolf Garcia-Gallont, Herrera Llerandi (Amedesgua), Transplant Division, Hospital General San Juan de Dios and Roosvelt, Guatemala City, strongly supports that organ procurement from executed prisoners should be banned and abolished immediately. He appreciates the progress made by some individuals and institutions in China but suggests offering more support, denouncing official maneuvers and appealing to all possible supranational entities (3). Prof. Dominique Martin from Australia Centre for Health and Society welcomes the cessation of organ procurement from executed prisoners in China. She urges China to rapidly expand and establish new organ donation programs with not only ongoing support of international community, but also effort of Chinese transparent community, Chinese government and people of China (4). Finally, young physicians from China, such as Dr. Zhiyong Guo from Sun Yat-Sen University and Drs. Xin Lu and Lu Che from Peking Union Medical College Hospital, are positive about the new organ donation system in China. In addition, they suggest that the transparency and fairness of the new system should be guaranteed and that a legal framework be constructed (5).

We would like to extend our gratitude to all of the invited authors for their great efforts.

References

1. Danovitch GM, Delmonico FL. China on the brink: there is hope for the end of their use of executed prisoner organs. HepatoBiliary Surg Nutr 2015;4:136-7.
2. Jha V. Reforms in organ donation in China: still to be executed? HepatoBiliary Surg Nutr 2015;4:138-40.
3. García-Gallont R. Organ procurement from executed prisoners in China. HepatoBiliary Surg Nutr 2015;4:141.
4. Martin DE, Tibell A. Implementation of China’s new policies on organ procurement: an important but challenging step forward. HepatoBiliary Surg Nutr 2015;4:142-4.
5. Guo Z, Lu X, Che L. A dream comes true and a new journey begins. HepatoBiliary Surg Nutr 2015;4:145-6.