China says it plans to phase out the harvesting of organs from executed prisoners, ending a controversial practice that reportedly supplies most of the country's transplant patients.
Huang Jiefu, a surgeon and former deputy health minister who is in charge of organ transplants, said that from November, China would scale back and eliminate the harvesting of inmate organs. Huang says it will be replaced by a nationwide voluntary donor system.
For years, Beijing denied that it routinely took organs from executed prisoners before finally acknowledging it a few years ago. The practice is widely regarded as unethical and has been a black eye for the Chinese medical establishment.
Although the number of executed prisoners is a state secret in China, human rights groups estimate that the country executes thousands of people each year.
The New York Times reports:
"By the end of 2012, about 64 percent of transplanted organs in China came from executed prisoners; the ratio has dipped to under 54 percent so far this year, according to figures provided by Mr. Huang."