Recently, the Tianjin Municipal Health Commission and six other departments issued a document that set explicit prices for so-called “human organ donations,” with a liver priced at 250,000 yuan (RMB, hereinafter referred to as yuan), a kidney at 200,000 yuan, sparking questioning and concerns online.
According to the Chinese Communist Party’s official media Observer Network report on January 23, the Tianjin Municipal Health Commission website released a message on January 20. The Tianjin Municipal Health Commission and six other departments issued a notice on the implementation details (trial) of the “Tianjin Municipal Human Organ Donation Organ Acquisition Fee and Financial Management Regulations” and the “Tianjin Municipal Human Organ Donation Organ Acquisition Fee Standards (trial).”
In the document “Tianjin Municipal Human Organ Donation Organ Acquisition Fee Standards (trial),” the Tianjin Health Commission also set explicit prices for so-called “human organ donations,” with a liver priced at 250,000 yuan, a kidney at 200,000 yuan, pancreas at 50,000 yuan, heart at 80,000 yuan, cornea at 12,000 yuan, lung at 60,000 yuan, and small intestine at 40,000 yuan.
The document indicates that the regulations will be explained jointly by the Tianjin Municipal Health Commission and relevant departments and will be implemented from February 1, 2025.
This news has raised concerns and questions among netizens.
Many netizens expressed, “Oh, do you believe this will lead to some people inexplicably ‘sudden death’ or on the brink of death?”, “Hope it’s only limited to donations, not sliding into organ trading.”, “It’s impossible, once the door is opened, there will be trades!”, “How to ensure that human organ donations are not ‘donated’?”
“… Opening up organ transplants will lead to many serious consequences. Ordinary people may become organ plantations for a few wealthy people. Essentially, humans do not have spare organs. Even from the most well-meaning perspective, those waiting for suitable donors are essentially waiting for a healthy person to die unexpectedly.”
Some questioned, “What is the nature of the Organ Procurement Organizations (OPO)? Are they state-owned enterprises or privately owned capital? It’s not clear.”
After the document sparked controversy online, it has been removed from the Tianjin Municipal Health Commission website, and some related reports from mainland Chinese media have also been taken down from the internet.