Laws needed to encourage people to donate organs, save lives

New legislation and a nationwide network promoting organ donation is needed to encourage people to donate their bodies after death and help save lives, says a research fellow and a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).

Body donation is very important to medical teaching and research, but very few people are willing to donate their bodies, said Yu Jinyao, a researcher with Institute of World History at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, according to a proposal sent to the Global Times on Sunday.

China does not have a law to regulate body donation, making it difficult for medical personnel to promote the positive contributions made by people who have donated their bodies, said Yu, noting that body donors don’t receive enough care, which affects people’s willingness to donate their bodies.

Last year 739 bodies were donated in Qingdao, East China’s Shandong Province, the most of all provinces in China, Qingdao Daily reported.

Chinese tradition has long hampered organ and body donations in the country. Tradition dictates that one’s body must remain complete after death, making many Chinese reluctant to donate their bodies, Liu Changqiu, an academic who studies organ donations at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences’ Institute of Law, told the Global Times on Sunday.

Yu has submitted a proposal to the 13th CPPCC National Committee, urging the country to draft a law on body donation procedures.

Yu said that people’s willingness to donate their bodies should be noted on identification documents, so their bodies and organs can be retrieved shortly after death.

“People who are willing to donate their organs and bodies after death should also receive preferential treatment at hospitals.”

Liu added that effective education about body donation is also necessary to encourage more people to donate their bodies.