Vice President Chen Chien-jen says that Taiwan is one of the top organ donor countries in Asia. His remarks came on Sunday, at a concert to mark the anniversary of the nation’s Human Organ Transplantation Act. That act was signed into law on June 19, 1987, making Taiwan the first country in Asia to legalize organ donation.
The Taiwan Organ Registry and Sharing Center invited the vice president and other officials to join organ recipients and the families of organ donors for the event.
During a speech, Vice President Chen said that statistics show that there are eight organ donors for every one million people. He said that puts Taiwan ahead of its neighbors, including Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Japan, making it one of the top in Asia.
In order to commemorate the nation’s organ donors – some 3,938 to date – the health ministry has declared June 19 as Organ Donation Day.