DOH TO AMEND ORGAN DONATION REGULATION

To encourage more people to donate organs, the Department of Health is planning to revise its regulations on organ donations and distributions.

In the future, patients and their relatives who have made contributions in the past will have the first priority if they ever need an organ transplant.

Based on the current regulation covering organ donation, organs can only be harvested from donors who are pronounced brain dead.

And now, Department of Health is planning to revise the law, which may allow organ harvesting right after the heart stops beating.

Some experts expressed their approval over the proposal because it may avoid futile resuscitation efforts, and keep the organs fresh.

"Thirty minutes of the resuscitation is a torture to the patients, and normally after the resuscitation procedure, most organs have lost their functions, and can't be used again.

According to DOH's statistics, there are 7,336 people on the waiting list of organ transplant. But there have been only 107 organ donors this year, with 407 organs being donated.

In order to promote the concept of organ donation in Taiwan, DOH is planning to revise the law, which will put volunteer donors on the priority list for organs if the need arises.

While the existing regulation stipulates that live donors of liver tissues and kidney must be the recipients' relatives or spouses, the new law may consider allowing organ donations to non-relatives.

In addition, in the amendment, physicians may pronounce death once the heart stops beating.

"In some countries, organ donation is legal and allowed between non-relatives.

As for whether our society is mature enough for such a concept, and if the amendment will encourage illegal organ trade, we need more discussion on this issue."

Department of Health added that it needs more contemplation before deciding to allow organ donation to non-relatives, but it will not be included in the latest amendment.

Furthermore, in order to encourage more people to become volunteer organ donors, the amendment may put those who have donated liver tissue or a kidney on the priority list if they ever need an organ transplant.

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