Health authorities denied yesterday accusations that China harvests organs from prisoners on death row for transplants.

At yesterday's press conference, Ministry of Health spokesman Mao Qun'an said that organs used in the country's transplant surgeries mainly come from voluntary donations made by citizens before they pass away.

"For a fraction of inmates who have committed serious crimes and are awaiting the death penalty, body parts could be used only if they sign a medical document, or if their families approve," he said. "It also needs the approval of the relative administrative and judiciary departments after strict scrutiny has been conducted."

Mao said the process is the same as if the donation was made by a normal citizen in advance. He accused some foreign media organizations yesterday of fabricating the news and misinforming the public.

The Ministry of Health issued a long-awaited regulation on human organ transplants late last month, explicitly banning the sale of body parts, requiring written permission from donors and introducing certain medical standards.

"One of the biggest problems in regulating organ transplants in our country is that supervision is scant," Mao admitted.

It might bring huge risks to some patients if no standards and controls accompany this new medical technique, he added.

(China Daily April 11, 2006)