Legislation and Industry Status of Human Organ Transplantation in China

Human organ transplantation is a medical treatment with high returns and value throughout the world. Driven by the development of global organ transplantation, China has been in an eve-increasing demand for organs since the late 1980s. The number of organ transplantation reached 13,000 in 2005, next to America. But as the demand for organs greatly exceeds the supply, illegal human organ trading but with high profits has not been stopped effectively. The low efficiency of Chinese medical monitor system makes the hospitals pay more attention to the profits from the medical service. And human organs form prisoners under death sentence are available in China, which leads the soar of Chinese illegal human organ transplantation and foreign patents' human organ transplantation in China.

Currently, the following problems lie in Chinese human organ transplantation:

1. Lack of clear legal definition and inspection
2. Lack of standard of brain death for organ transplanting definition
3. Lack of voluntary donation system like developed countries
4. Lack of inspection on medical institution and operating theme

In order to reverse the situation, Chinese government and medical management are making reform of the medical system as well as strengthening the management and supervision of human organ transplantation by laws like Human Organ Transplant Regulation. Provided that China continues to standardize the industry, the human organ transplantation as well as its appertained industry will experience a long and stable increase.