Health authorities are considering allowing people who are HIV positive to donate their organs.
Under the current rules, people who test positive for HIV are not only prohibited from donating blood and organs, they are also not allowed to receive organ transplants.
The ministry of health and welfare is expected to make a decision in the near future.
A ministry official said on Monday that the topic of HIV positive organ donors is still controversial in Taiwan and overseas.
However, the chairman of the Taiwan Organ Registry and Sharing Center, Lee Po-chang, said that none of the five people who accidentally received organ transplants from people who were HIV positive three years ago have been found to contain the virus. He was referring to a high-profile case which occurred at National Taiwan University hospital.
Lee said there is no reason why HIV positive people should be banned from becoming organ donors as long as their viral load is fairly low. Still, he said, it’s imperative that doctors inform recipients beforehand about the HIV status of the donor.