General Information

On 1 January 2015 the Chinese government announced banning the use of organs from executed prisoners for transplantation, which has been received by the Chinese public with ambiguity. On one hand, this decision is a great step forward in China's human rights record because it reflects the public's concerns about protection of prisoners’ human rights. The Chinese government positively responded to increasing international concerns about this widely denounced practice. On the other hand, it will further enlarge the gap between the supply of human organs for transplantation and the huge demand for it. Facing long-time international criticism, boycott-related academic activities and uncertainty about China’s future organ supply, most Chinese medical concerns publicly.  A brief introduction to the history of prisoner’ organ transplants may help international readers understand the situation, progress and the challenges of China’s transplantation medicine.