THE first databank for human organ donations sponsored by the city government would be officially launched soon, according to a report in Thursday’s Guangzhou Daily, quoting the Shenzhen branch of the Red Cross Society.
Information regarding donors and patients waiting for organ transplants will be contained in the database, which was costing 1.3 million yuan (US$183,000), the report said. The databank, which is the first of its kind in China, would be shared nationwide to increase the likelihood of finding matching organs for transplants. The report did not give the date of the launch.
The database is said to be designed to prevent people jumping the queue to obtain organs. Hospitals will provide Shenzhen Red Cross with the records of donors and potential recipients. When donor organs become available, the red cross would select recipient patients strictly according to protocol.
The procedure is to ensure that all patients have a fair opportunity to receive transplants and prevent patients jumping the queue by bribing doctors.
In Shenzhen, more than 5,000 people have pledged to donate their corneas and blood cells after death.