Organ donation trial extended

Beijing - Almost one year into its trial run, China's first voluntary organ donation system has facilitated only 40-odd organ transplant surgeries in 11 pilot regions on the mainland, said Vice-Health Minister Huang Jiefu. Meanwhile, more than 100 volunteers have donated organs through the system.

When the system goes nationwide, and given rising volunteerism in China, more people will donate organs after death to help save those who would die without a transplant, Huang, also a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, told China Daily on the sidelines of the ongoing "Two Sessions."

"The trial run by the Red Cross Society of China and the Ministry of Health will be extended by half a year in pilot areas. After assessment and revision, it's expected to go nationwide in two years," said Huang, also an Australia-trained liver transplant expert.