Thriving black market

About 1.5 million people in China need transplants, but only about10,000 operations are performed annually, according to the healthministry.

The scarcity of available organs has led to a thrivingblack market in trafficked organs, and in an effort to stop this thegovernment passed a law in 2007 banning trafficking as well as thedonation of organs to unrelated recipients.

But in practice, illegal transplants - some from livingdonors - are still frequently reported by the media and the Ministry ofHealth.

Human rights groups have often criticised China for itslack of transparency over organ donation, but critics have focusedparticular concern on the use of body parts from executed prisoners.

In a rare admission of the extent to which this takesplace, China Daily - citing unnamed experts - said on Wednesday thatmore than 65% of organ donations come from death row prisoners.

China executes more people than any other country.Amnesty International said at least 1,718 people were given the deathpenalty in 2008.

The China Daily quoted Vice-Health Minister Huang Jiefuas saying that condemned prisoners were "definitely not a proper sourcefor organ transplants".

The new scheme is therefore designed to reduce thereliance on death row inmates, as well as regulating the industry bycombating the illegal trafficking of organs.

The system will be piloted in 10 provinces and cities,and a fund will be started to provide financial aid to donors'families.