Ministry Orders Update of Overseas Organ Transplant Files|境外器官移植 衛福部:年底前補齊登錄

The organ transplant controversy rages on. One legislator says registered data on Taiwanese people that go overseas for organ transplants is incomplete. Health and Welfare Minister Chen Shih-chung responded that all hospitals have already been asked to fill in all missing information before the end of the year. Those that fail to do so will be fined and have their national health insurance paid-drugs canceled.


According to one lawmaker, 3,128 R.O.C. citizens have traveled overseas for organ transplants since 2005 but only 108 patients provided full information on their transplant. There is little to no information on where the organs came from in the vast majority of cases, which has led to persistent rumors of illegal organ trade. The Ministry of Health and Welfare says it has issued an order for "improvements" before the end of the year.

We didn't enforce the disclosure regulation in the past, but that's changing. We are now ordering hospitals to fill out all necessary information. (Is there a deadline? When do you hope to have an investigative report by?) We hope the end of the year.

Under the Human Organ Transplant Act, which was last amended in 2005, organ recipients that undergo transplants overseas must provide their doctor in Taiwan with full information on their procedure, including organ type, where the transplant took place, and the names of the doctor and hospital where the transplant was performed. However, the data registration rate is only 5.6 percent. Health and Welfare Minister Chen Shih-chung says this issue has nothing to do with the accusations leveled against Taipei City Mayor Ko Wen-je by "The Slaughter: Mass Killings, Organ Harvesting, and China's Secret Solution to Its Dissident Problem" author Ethan Gutmann, but organ transplantation is indeed a serious issue.

Organ trade creates all sorts of medical ethics issues. It is a serious problem. We need to get evidence before deciding how to proceed.

Chen says failure to provide required information before the end of the year will result in fines of NT$ 30,000 to NT$ 150,000. Patients may also lose access to national health insurance-subsidized anti-rejection medications.