Recently, Shanghai Jiao Tong University’s affiliated Renji Hospital doctors published an article on the American Transplant Journal website, reporting two cases of newborn kidney transplants. Taiwanese internet-famous doctor “White Coat Traveler” Yang Weijie analyzed the situation and expressed extreme shock.
Taiwanese singer Tank (Lu Jianzhong) recently made a splash on Weibo by announcing that he successfully underwent Asia’s first “simultaneous heart and liver transplant” surgery in China. However, this move has sparked controversy. Internet personality Mr. 486 questioned why Tank was able to find organ matches so quickly, leading to the issue of organ harvesting by the Chinese Communist Party becoming a hot topic of public discussion.
Media reports have also highlighted cases where doctors at Shanghai Jiao Tong University’s affiliated Renji Hospital presented cases of newborns having their kidneys removed within one and three days of birth for transplantation to patients with end-stage kidney disease, causing concern.
In a Facebook post, Taiwanese internet-famous doctor Yang Weijie mentioned that he has personally cared for many premature babies. Witnessing the removal of kidneys from premature infants left him extremely shocked. He pointed out that while the papers claim the organs were taken post-mortem with the parents’ consent for transplantation, “it cannot deceive those of us who have clinically cared for premature babies.”
Yang Weijie analyzed that a premature baby at 29 weeks gestation is extremely resilient. In Taiwan, over 90% of such babies have a high chance of safely going home. “Even in unfortunate circumstances, we always try our best to save them to the end.”
He emphasized that if a child really has been “saved to the end” before dying, then their kidneys are unlikely to be successfully transplanted to someone else. Therefore, it is highly possible that in this case, the premature baby’s kidneys were extracted under conditions where circulation was preserved. This is extremely, extremely terrifying.
Many netizens commented on Yang Weijie’s Facebook post, with one saying, “Indeed! I have worked in the pediatric intensive care unit for over 10 years, caring for numerous premature babies, and a 29-week baby truly exhibits remarkable resilience. It’s heartbreaking to see.”
“29-week premature babies can be saved in Taiwan.”
“My daughter was born premature at 28 weeks and is now a healthy 10-year-old. This news is truly distressing.”
“This is a customized kidney.”
“In a country without medical ethics, such things are extremely terrifying.”