Transplant system to go national

BEIJING - China's organ donation system will be extended nationwide starting this year, said Huang Jiefu, deputy minister of health, on Thursday.

Currently, the trial system launched by the ministry and the Red Cross Society of China in 2009 is operating in 16 regions and is helping ease a severe shortage of organ donations for transplant, Huang said.

He said that 163 people had donated organs by the end of 2011.