As from 1 August, there will be a ban on unauthorized transport of corpses and extraction of organs in structures that have not been sanctioned.
Beijing (AsiaNews) The Chinese government has approved a series of new regulations governing the use and transport of corpses and human organs with the aim of preventing illegal trade. The new rules will enter into force on 1 August 2006.
According to the new regulations, published by Xinhua (at this point the only official source of news in China), it will be forbidden for individuals and public organizations to accept corpses as "donations": only medical institutes, hospitals, medical schools and forensic research institutes will be allowed to do so.
However, the exit and entry of bodies in these structures must be approved by the health authorities in accordance with the Regulation on Human Hereditary Resources issued by the State Council. The transport of bodies within the country, even for interment, must be approved by civil affairs officials and by local and health authorities. No other reasons for transport will be approved.
The regulation defines "corpses" as human bodies, body parts such as organs and bones, and specimens of bodies or body parts.
Several analysts say the new rules are a bid by the government to stop illegal organ trafficking in the country, which has grown into a flourishing industry. They follow regulations that came into force on 1 July, expressly forbidding the sale of organs.
Chinese health ministry statistics reveal that organ trafficking has assumed daunting proportions: more than two million Chinese are on the waiting list for a transplant, but only 20,000 operations are conducted per year although they have four times as many organs available.
Beijing is also seeking to stem the international scandal linked to the extraction of organs from the corpses of convicts on death row, who are executed on demand of rich private health facilities.