China Red Cross working to get rid of scandal  

赵白鸽谈中国红十字会发展：不避热点 力主改革

“人道是个神圣的事业，涉及到人的底线，因为它跟生命相关。”作为中国人道事业的领军人物，中国红十字会党组书记、常务副会长赵白鸽16日做客中新网，谈中国红十字会的改革与发展。[查看全文]

(ECNS) -- It is unreasonable and unfair to equate Guo Meimei with the Red Cross Society of China (RCSC), which should work harder on publicity to get rid of the Guo Meimei scandal, said Zhao Baige, executive vice president of the RCSC.

The state-run RCSC has been battling public mistrust ever since Guo, a young woman who claimed to work for an organization affiliated with the RCSC, posted photos online flaunting her wealth in mid 2011.

That scandal and others have raised public suspicion about the charity's credibility and its use of public donations.

The RCSC has done much for humanitarian causes, and is not merely a platform for receiving and making use of donations, Zhao said during an online interview. The RCSC is well-regulated by China's Red Cross Law, as well as the international Organizational Capacity Assessment and Certification, she added.

The RCSC, a 110-year-old social organization, has easily been tainted by the Guo Meimei scandal, partly because the public have little idea of the humanitarian causes undertaken by our organization, Zhao said.

She also pointed out that by June 20 this year, the RCSC had received nearly 1.12 billion yuan in donations, amounting to one third of the total donations to victims of the Lushan Earthquake.

Zhao also clarified the rumor that RCSC branches had asked for organ donations, saying the RCSC is only responsible for advocating organ donations, providing donor families with financial relief, and commemorating donors after their death.

The vital process between organ procurement and distribution is "managed rigorously by government departments," she said. Staffers of RCSC branches in some regions are looking for potential donors and circumventing the online response system to inform hospitals about the donation information, she added.