China becomes No 1 in voluntary organ donations in Asia

China began a voluntary organ donation trial in 2010 and promoted the practice across the country in 2013. [Photo/Xinhua]

Voluntary organ donations by citizens have risen 120 times in past six years since China began the trial in 2010, making the country No 1 in Asia in the number of voluntary organ donations.

The figure was made public at 2016 China International Organ Donation and Transplantation Forum co-organized by the National Organ Donation and Transplantation Committee and the China Organ Transplant Development Foundation in Wuhan, capital of Central China's Hubei province, on May 15.

China recorded 2,766 voluntary organ donations, with 7,758 large organs acquired in 2015, said Guo Yanhong, deputy director of the medical administration bureau, the National Health and Family Planning Commission.

More than 1,000 organ transplantations, including relatives' donations, were made in 2015, breaking a historic record, she said.

There were only 34 voluntary organ donations and 88 organ transplantations in the trial year 2010. Previously China mainly relied on executed prisoners as a major source of organ donations.

China has banned the use of prisoners' organs for the purpose starting 2015, making citizen donation the only legitimate channel.

Though great development has achieved, there are still 30,000 patients awaiting transplants each year, said Huang Jiefu, the chairman of the National Organ Donation and Transplantation Committee and president of the China Organ Transplant Development Foundation.

There is still a great gap between the number of donations and patients, he said.