On March 11, the Ministry of Health said that recently, functional agencies and media outlets have reported the discovery of many lines of brokerage, trading, and even appropriation of human tissues and organs.
These activities are often connected through social networks, seriously affecting professional ethics, the reputation of the health sector and posing many risks to people's health and lives.
To strengthen management and rectify organ donation and transplantation activities, the Ministry of Health requests medical examination and treatment facilities to strictly implement the provisions of the Law on Donation, Extraction, Transplantation of Human Tumors and Parts of the Body and donation, extraction of bodies and related documents.
The Ministry of Health emphasizes the strict prohibition of all acts of brokering, buying and selling human tissues and organs in any form. The head of a medical facility will be responsible before the law and the Ministry of Health if violations occur at the unit.
Hospitals that perform organ transplants must review all professional procedures related to organ donation, extraction and transplantation; promptly rectify management work. At the same time, facilities need to fully implement procedures for receiving, appraising and verifying the relationship between donors and recipients, especially in cases of organ donation from living people.
The Ministry of Health also requires strict inspection of organ donation and transplant records to ensure legality, transparency and completeness. Medical facilities are not allowed to perform human tissue and organ transplants if the records are incomplete or show signs of suspicion related to illegal brokerage and trading.
In addition, hospitals need to strengthen professional ethics education and legal responsibility for medical staff, especially those who directly participate in organ transplant activities.
For Departments of Health of provinces and cities, the Ministry requests to strengthen inspection and supervision of medical facilities in the area that perform human tissue and organ transplantation; promptly detect, prevent and strictly handle violations according to the provisions of law.
In parallel with that, the health sector needs to promote communication and mobilize organ donation after brain death to increase the source of organs donated from deceased people, gradually reducing dependence on donors from living people.
In case of detecting signs of brokerage or trading of human tissues and organs, medical examination and treatment facilities must immediately report to higher-level management agencies and coordinate with functional agencies to verify and handle according to regulations.
The document was sent to hospitals under the Ministry of Health, Departments of Health of provinces and cities and medical examination and treatment facilities that perform organ transplants nationwide.
Currently, there are more than 30 hospitals nationwide performing organ transplants and dozens of tissue banks operating.
