TAIPEI: The Executive Yuan yesterday changed the rules on organ donation. Donors are now able to give consent to organ donation on their "National Health Insurance" (NHI) Certificate. The revised bill also imposes heavier penalties for illicit organ transactions.

In a note to the bill, the Executive Yuan said that if a donor gives consent in the written form or through a will, the information will be noted on the NHI Certificate by the organ donation registry.

Until the amendment, consent was granted through an organ donation card. Many people do not carry the cards with them all the time.

Recording consent on NHI IC cards is similar to the practice in some foreign countries of adding notations to driver's license. The revised system will help doctors and nurses access information quickly, the note said.

Organ donation consent is not given regularly in Taiwan, owing to the taboo toward not maintaining the completeness of the body after death.

According to Taiwan's organ donation registry, the waiting list for organ transplants is about 7,000 but only 200 are getting donated organs every year. Cornea grafts have been the most common type of transplants. But only 80 hearts and kidneys can be successfully transplanted every year.

Advocates have been urging the government to simplify organ donation. Noting consent on the NHI IC cards was their key recommendation.

Regarding removal of organs or tissues from a living donor, the bill said the doctors must explain the procedures and possible risks to the donor in detail.

The donor must act from free will when giving consent. Guardians should sign additional documents if the donor is underage, the bill said.

On post-mortem donations, the amended bill also stipulates that an attending physician must declare the donor dead, before organs may be removed from the body. The surgical removal procedure must be conducted by another doctor. Violation of the regulation is punishable by a fine of between NT$9,000 and NT$45,000.

The bill forbids any form of organ transaction and has increased penalties. Hospitals or clinics that carry out medical procedures related to an organ or tissue from suspicious source are subject to fines between NT$200,000 and NT$1 million.

People attempting to sell organs through media including print, radio, television, the Internet, and mobile telephone text face fines of between NT$90,000-450,000.

China Daily/CNA

(HK Edition 07/24/2009 page2)