Growing Number of Koreans Getting Organ Transplants in China

October 24, 2004

A growing number of patients suffering from liver cirrhosis or renal failure are flying off to China to receive organ transplants. According to research by the Korean Society of Transplantation, the number of patients receiving organ transplants in China grew from 2 in 1999, 1 in 2000, 4 in 2001, 24 in 2002, 73 in 2003 to 124 as of end of August in 2004.

However, the figure is only the tip of the iceberg, says Ha Jong-won, managing director of the Korean Society of Transplantation at Seoul National University Medical Department. According to Ha, many Chinese hospitals, such as the Beijing Organ Transplantation Center, have opened up Internet sites to attract more Korean patients. One hospital has even undergone renovations, exclusively for Korean patients.

Many of these hospitals are believed to be securing organs by inhumane and unlawful means, such as retaining organs from prisoners on death row, and the possibility of transplant rejection or other complications is higher. Even with these drawbacks, many patients flock to China because it is very difficult to get organ transplants in Korea.

Korea Network for Organ Sharing (KONOS) reported that there are currently 5,001 patients on the waiting list for kidney transplant and 1,364 for liver transplant. However, only 644 kidney transplants and 424 liver transplants were actually conducted this year. Unless a family member who is a match with the patient donates his or her organs, it is almost impossible to get an organ transplant.

KONOS President Koh Yong-bok says that they must raise public awareness on transplants, by holding a massive organ transplant campaign and added that reform of KONOS and the organ distribution system is needed as well.

(Im Ho-jun, imhojun@chosun.com )

Copyright © 2004 Digital Chosun

This article posted Novembere 27, 2004.