The authorities are busy evaluating medical institutions to
determine which ones are qualified to carry out organ transplants,
said the Ministry of Health.
The list of approved institutions will be released soon.
The ratification process has been proceeding smoothly and in
line with the Regulation on Human Organ Transplants, which will
take effect on May 1, spokesman Mao Qun'an said at the ministry's
regular press conference yesterday in Beijing.
The regulation - which has been dubbed a milestone in the
development of organ transplants in China - lays out strict
guidelines for medical institutions allowed to perform such
procedures.
The procedure is known as much for its ability to save lives as
it is as a source of malpractice.
Hospitals and medical institutions from across the country have
submitted applications to be certified to perform transplants.
Mao said all applications were being evaluated in accordance
with the rules.
A panel of experts convened by the health ministry to carry out
the approval work will have the final say on issuing passes to
eligible hospitals, Mao said.
Unqualified doctors caught carrying out organ transplants will
have their licenses revoked and face fines, as will their clinics,
added Mao.
Meanwhile, the ministry also released its monthly infection
report yesterday. The report rated tuberculosis (TB), which claimed
202 lives in March, as the top pandemic killer among all the
infectious diseases occurring on the Chinese mainland last
month.
Rabies, hepatitis B, AIDS and infant tetanus were the next
biggest killers, accounting for nearly 70 percent of the 613 deaths
caused by infectious diseases during the period.
The top five infections in terms of prevalence were TB,
hepatitis B, syphilis, diarrhea and gonorrhea.
TB has been the most deadly pandemic disease for several years
in row. There are about 5 million TB patients in China, 80 percent
of whom live in the countryside, statistics from the Ministry of
Health show.
In 2001, the State Council promised free examinations and
treatment for all Chinese citizens infected with TB. It has
earmarked 40 million yuan ($5.17 million) every year to pay for the
fight. The fund had grown to 400 million yuan ($51.7 million) as of
last year.
The country reported 11,176 cases of measles and 5,753 cases of
German measles in March, up nearly 1.2 percent and 33 percent
respectively over the same period last year.
Measles cases have been spreading fast since the beginning of
this year and sporadic outbreaks of the disease occasionally show
up in schools.
(China Daily April 11, 2007)