The 7th China-International Organ Donation Conference and the Belt & Road Symposium on Organ Donation and Transplantation International Cooperation Development kicks off in Nanning, South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on December 9, 2023. Photo: Zhao Yusha/GT

 
Chinese Premier Li Qiang has signed a decree of the State Council to unveil rules on human organ donation and transplantation, media reported on Thursday, with Chinese experts noting that the country’s organ donations will be more transparent under the regulation, which reflects great determination in China's organ donation reform. 

The newly issued rules, which will take effect on May 1, 2024, have been refined from the ones on human organ transplantation issued in 2007 to meet the demands of changing situations and ensure the healthy development of the cause, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

The rules strengthen the publicity and guidance of organ donation. Besides, the regulations stipulate that organ donation must adhere to the principles of voluntary and unpaid participation, and the conditions and procedures of donation should be improved based on the Civil Code. 

The rules also emphasize the cultivation of a favorable social atmosphere for organ donation through organizing memorial activities for deceased organ donors, as well as the strengthening of the management of relevant personnel. 

Moreover, the rules highlight the improvement of the system of distributing organs. Specifically, the distribution of organs from deceased individuals should meet medical needs and adhere to the principles of fairness, justice, and transparency. Additionally, information on body organ donation and distribution is required to be made public regularly for social supervision. 

China’s organ donations will be more transparent under the newly issued rules, Huang Jiefu, chairman of China Human Organ Donation and Transplantation Committee and chair of the China Organ Transplant Development Foundation Advisory Board, told the Global Times on Thursday.

Huang noted that the revision of the rules shows the great determination in China's organ donation reform, which he described as scraping poison off the bone. “The regulations reflect the importance the Party and country attach to organ donation, which provides a strong legal guarantee for the high-quality development of organ donation cause.” 

According to the rules, the application management of organ transplantation technologies should be improved to ensure medical quality. Specifically speaking, the rules define the conditions that medical institutions and practicing physicians must possess when engaging in organ transplantation, and require regular evaluation of the clinical application capabilities of relevant technologies in medical institutions. 

In addition, the rules improve related provisions on legal liabilities and strengthen the punishment of malpractice in the field, Xinhua reported.

Experts said the new rules call for more people to get involved in organ donations and transplants, and it is hoped that China's organ transplantation technology will spread to more countries in the future.