CRI听力:Organs Donation in Great Shortage

Mr He was a Beijing taxi driver, who suffered a serious lung illness. He was in pressing need of an organ transplant. But unfortunately, he did not survive after his transplant. Before he passed away, he decided to donate his organs to patients like him.

Three lucky patients were offered the donated organs and their lives are prolonged.

However, the overwhelming majority of patients in great need of organ transplantation can only maintain their life through other medical means.

Jin Hailong, a doctor from a hospital in Beijing, says donated kidneys are in severe shortage.

"The patients' relatives are willing to donate their organs. But many donors aren't qualified. What's more, the relatives' health conditions don't meet the requirements. "

There are two ways to determine whether a person is alive or dead: either the brain has stopped functioning, or the heart has stopped beating.
Shi Bingyi, an official from the China Medical Association, explains.

"With the help of a respiratory machine, brain dead patients can keep breathing and their hearts keep beating. But they can never regain consciousness. Without the machine they can't breathe any more and the heart will stop beating within 8 to 10 minutes. For many people it's a revolution to recognize brain death as the end of life."

If a person's death can be judged by the lack of brain function, the source for organ donation will surge by 40%. Furthermore, after a patient's heart stops, the quality of organs deteriorate due to the shortage of blood.

Shi Bingyi says many people find it's hard to accept that patients with beating hearts could donate their organs.

"For years medical workers have called to rectify the law concerning the definition of death and hope the government will change the criteria to determine death by brain function as soon as possible. At present, a rising number of doctors engaging in organ transplants are asking for changes in the law on behalf of patients."

Currently, the organ transplant success rate and survival rate are very high in China.

It is expected that an increasing number of patients will be able to overcome health issues if more organs become available.

For CRI, I'm He Fei.