- © 2007 Canadian Medical Association
Organ crackdown: The Chinese government will significantly curtail organ transplants for foreigners as part of a crackdown on transplant tourism. The new regulations severely limit the number of hospitals that are authorized to perform such transplants, require them to get authorization from health authorities before performing a transplant on a foreign patient and prohibit them from conducting Internet advertising to attract foreigners. The regulations also state that foreigners who visit China on a tourist visa cannot receive a transplant.
Living wills: Nova Scotia's largest district health authority has implemented a policy whereby every patient who is admitted to hospital is asked if they have advanced directives and if they'd like more information. The policy, 11 years in the making, does not advocate for or against living wills but, rather, seeks to ensure that all patients know what a living will is and how it is used. Those patients who have living wills have copies attached to their charts. — Wayne Kondro, CMAJ, and Donalee Moulton, Halifax