Two doctors investigated over alleged false organ donation records in Taiwan

Two doctors from Tri-Service General Hospital are facing investigation for allegedly falsifying records in relation to organ donation, specifically the donation of eye corneas. The case has led to the hospital's procedures being scrutinized by the Ministry of Health and Welfare.

The core of the dispute lies in the classification of the donor's death. The patient, who had been hospitalized for injuries from a fall, later died from shock and multiple organ failure. While the medical team initially classified the death as disease-related, allowing for the cornea donation to proceed, the family's subsequent request for an accident insurance claim prompted a police investigation and a demand for a judicial autopsy. This raised questions about whether the death should have been classified as non-disease-related, which requires reporting to judicial authorities for an autopsy before organ retrieval.

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The hospital's procedure was not done properly.

Authorities confirmed that the hospital's procedure was not properly followed. According to regulations, deaths from accidents or suspected non-disease-related causes must undergo a judicial autopsy, with the prosecutor's consent, before organ or tissue retrieval. The hospital proactively reported the issue to the organ donation center and the Ministry of Health and Welfare, acknowledging procedural shortcomings. However, the Ministry stated that the controversy is purely about the cause of death classification and does not involve issues with the donor's intent, the allocation process, or the rights of recipients. Tri-Service General Hospital's qualifications for organ retrieval, procurement, and transplantation have not been suspended, and related operations can continue as normal.

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The controversy in this individual case is purely about the cause of death.