WHO praises China model in managing organ donation and transplant
By Zhao Cheng from People’s Daily
China has made progress in organ donation and transplant management, and the country’s efforts on the sector are worth learning for Asia and the world as a whole, according to a representative of the World Health Organization (WHO).
China’s organ transplant is transparent and open, as it reports the annual transplant data to the WHO as required, and publishes its research results on international journals, Jose Nunez, WHO officer in charge of global organ transplantation, said during the Global Practice Ethics Summit held in the Vatican starting from12th March.
The way China does its job has reflected the guiding principles and ethical requirements with Chinese characteristics, the officer said.
The Chinese government is doing better in managing the source of donation and organ transplant, Nunez said. In 2015, China made voluntary donation the only legitimate source of transplanted organs, he added, pointing out that the new donation allocation policy and system is fairer and safer.
At last year’s summit, Chinese representatives proposed the setup of a special commission under the WHO leadership to supervise organ transplant in WHO member country, said Wang Haibo, head of China’s official organ distribution system, who also attended this year’s summit.
The setup of commission will enhance international collaboration on transplant data management and assist member countries to crack down on organ trading more efficiently, Wang said, adding that the work now moves forward steadily led by the WHO.
Last year, 5,146 Chinese citizens voluntarily donated their organs after death, of which 2,300 people donated their live organs to their relatives, saving, or improving life of more than 16,000 people, according to statistics.
The number of donations per million has reached 3.72 in China, the second place in the world.
German professor Nashan makes a diagnosis for a patient and answers his questions about his health conditions at Anhui Provincial Hospital, Jan. 12, 2018. Nashan used to be president of the European Society for Organ Transplantation, director of the hepatobiliary surgery department and liver and kidney transplant center of the University Hospital Hamburg. (Photo from anhuinews.com)
