After the disbandment of multiple organ trafficking networks, the Ministry of Health has released a directive urging hospitals, health departments, and medical institutions engaged in organ and tissue transplantation to enhance their management practices, assess, and correct the adherence to legal regulations governing this area.
The Ministry of Health mandates that medical institutions rigorously enforce the Law on Donation, Procurement, and Transplantation of Human Tissues and Organs, as well as the Law on Donation and Procurement of Cadavers, along with associated guiding documents; it strictly forbids any form of brokering or trading in human tissues and organs. Heads of all medical institution will be held accountable for any violations that occur within their organization.
Hospitals performing organ transplantation must review all professional procedures related to the donation, procurement, and transplantation of human tissues and organs. This includes particularly strict checks on the process of receiving and evaluating dossiers and verifying the relationship between donors and recipients, especially in cases of living organ donation.
The Ministry of Health also requires medical facilities to proactively coordinate with authorities when detecting signs of brokering or trading in human tissues and organs. In cases of suspicion, the unit must promptly report to the superior management agency and cooperate in verification and handling according to regulations.
Provincial health departments are required to strengthen inspection and supervision of medical facilities in their areas that perform organ transplants; regularly conduct inspections to promptly detect, prevent, and strictly handle violations.
According to the Ministry of Health, recently, authorities have discovered several illegal networks brokering, trading, and even appropriating human tissues and organs. These individuals often seek organ transplant recipients and donors through social media and then act as intermediaries using various sophisticated methods. These actions not only seriously violate the law but also affect professional ethics and the reputation of the medical profession, while posing many risks to the health and lives of the people.
Previously, the Hanoi City Police prosecuted three suspects for investigation into the crime of buying, selling, and appropriating human organs or body parts. According to the investigation, the suspects brokered the buying and selling of livers and kidneys at prices ranging from hundreds of millions Vietnamese dong to over VND1 billion.
