Rapid Growth Since 2000

China began to conduct research and clinical experiments in human organ transplantation in the 1960s. It was not until 2000 that the industry entered a period of tremendous growth.

Before 1999, there were 150 transplant institutions in mainland China. In 2007, more than 1,000 hospitals applied for permits from the Ministry of Health to continue performing transplants. The surge in transplants, while mostly absorbed by the domestic population and accompanied by a corresponding boom in transplant tourism from other countries, made China a global center for those in need of new vital organs.

“The year 2000 was a watershed … the number of liver transplants in 2000 reached 10 times that of 1999. By 2005, the number had tripled further.”

—He Xiaoshun, a member of the Expert Committee of the Human Organ Donation Commission and vice president of the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhongshan University

Short Waiting Times

Most patients in other countries with advanced healthcare capabilities and well-organized organ donation and allocation systems have to wait years for a transplant. In China, waiting times for kidney and liver transplants were commonly listed in weeks. China’s Liver Transplant Registry System indicated in 2005 and 2006 that more than 25% of cases were emergency transplants, for which organs were found within days or even hours.¹

Abundant Organ Supplies

A hospital advertised “donors seeking matched recipients” and promised, “in case of failure, to continue to perform transplants until successful.”² There are recorded cases of doctors excising several organs (8 sets of kidneys in one case) for one patient before a match was found.³ Some patients received second, third, or even fourth transplants.⁴ There are numerous reports of surgical teams performing transplants around the clock and hospitals performing 10, 20, or even more transplants in a single day, sometimes carried out concurrently.⁵ Extensive lists of transplant types and their fees were openly posted on hospital websites.⁶

“There is credible evidence that Chinese prisoners of conscience are murdered on demand for their organs, in a process of reverse matching not practiced anywhere else in the world. In most countries with well-regulated deceased donor programs, legally and ethically procured organs from a dying person are offered to recipients on the waiting list who are the best ‘match’ for the available organs. In China, this process is turned on its head. Wealthy recipients are matched against a large pool of prisoners, with the best matched prisoner scheduled for execution at the convenience of surgeon and recipient.”

—Wendy Rogers, Professor of Clinical Ethics, and Deputy Director of the Macquarie University Research Centre for Agency, Values and Ethics

References