China enhances organ transport efficiency

Decade-old policy aids timely delivery of donations as public awareness grows

China's streamlined transport channel for delivering lifesaving donated organs has significantly improved the efficiency and availability of transplant organs over the past decade, while public awareness on organ donation has also grown steadily, authorities and experts said on Thursday.

China has carried out more than 63,000 posthumous organ donations involving over 190,000 organs since 2010. In addition, more than 7.3 million people have registered as voluntary organ donors, according to data released on China's Organ Donation Day, observed annually on June 11.

In 2025, China recorded 6,931 organ donations and performed 25,799 organ transplant procedures, representing year-on-year increases of 4 percent and 4.5 percent, respectively. Both figures reached historic highs, although the overall donation rate — measured by the number of donors per million people — remains lower than the international level.

This year also marks the 10th anniversary of the introduction of a "green channel" policy, which ensures the efficient transport of donated organs through measures such as expedited clearance and priority transportation. The policy was introduced in 2016 by six government departments, including health and public security authorities.

Zhao Hongtao, chairman of the China Organ Transplantation Development Foundation, said the policy is estimated to have improved organ transport efficiency by an average of 10 percentage points.

"At the same time, we have seen cases in which airline passengers whose flights were delayed while waiting for a donated organ were fully cooperative and recognized the importance of the cause, demonstrating growing public awareness of organ donation," he said.

Zhao added that efforts are underway to explore the possibility of delivering donated organs by drone in the future.

Chen Jingyu, a renowned lung transplant surgeon, said transplant doctors once had to devote tremendous effort to coordinating the transport of donated organs. Now, however, "transformative progress" has been made.

"Today, even a donated organ from a remote town in Yunnan province can be delivered swiftly and smoothly through the nation's extensive airline network. It was unimaginable in the past," he said.

Chen, who is based in Wuxi, Jiangsu province, said when an organ arrives at an airport in Shanghai, local railway authorities help medical personnel carrying the organ reach the railway station in a designated vehicle and secure seats on the most suitable high-speed train from Shanghai to Wuxi.

"If seats on the ideal flight are sold out, we can also entrust airlines capable of ensuring quality control and monitoring the entire delivery process, with transporting the organ," he said.

Chen estimated that the green channel policy has increased the utilization rate of donated organs by 30 percent.