New Voluntary System of Organ Donations in China
This project builds on an earlier CMB project on reform of organ transplantation policies in China (grant #06-837; $991,500, July 2006–June 2011). This five-year supplement is aimed at strengthening China’s organ donation-transplantation system that suits the special aspects of Chinese culture, social structure and international standards, focuses on voluntary donations based on cardiac-brain death, and moves away from organ harvesting from prisoners. The goal is to establish a national system that promotes voluntary donations tracked by a registry system of potential recipients and allocation algorithms for organs; establishes procedural guidelines for care of the donor and donor’s family; and builds a platform for communications between Chinese transplant professionals and the international community. Using the first web-based organ Donor Management System built by LDT Systems and translated into mandarin, the Chinese Organ Transplant Response System (COTRS) will be established at the major transplant centers in China. A national organ procurement organization system will be established in medical centers in the mainland of China. Personnel training for both systems will take place and both systems will be brought to a level of fully functionality. A guideline for standard procedure of organ donation will be developed and the project will engage the Red Cross to implement and execute the policy.