The former chinese deputy health minister Huang Jiefu says China’s recent ban on using organ transplants from executed prisoners signifies great progress in the protection of human rights.
China stopped using executed prisoners as a source of organs for transplants from 1 January this year however the decision was reached at last year.
A transplant surgeon himself, Huang said showing respect for prisoners could inspire more people to donate their organs.
The move, which was widely welcomed by human rights groups, will worsen the huge shortfall in organs in the short term.
Death row prisoners have provided the overwhelming majority of transplanted organs for years in China, owing to high demand and low donation rates.
But in future their organs will only be used if they volunteer to donate and their families approve the decision.
Almost 40 major transplant centres have already stopped such organs from prisoners facing execution.
