Former Hospital Vice Superintendent Convicted for Brokering Organ Transplants in China, Medical License Revoked
Chen Yao-li, former vice superintendent of Chung Shan Medical University Hospital, was sentenced to two years in prison with five years of probation for brokering organ transplants in China for nine patients, profiting NT$14.66 million. The Ministry of Health and Welfare has revoked his medical license, marking the first such case in Taiwan.
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- 📰 Published: June 2, 2026 at 20:55
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(CNA, Changhua, June 2) Chen Yao-li, former vice superintendent of Chung Shan Medical University Hospital, brokered organ transplant surgeries in China for nine domestic patients, profiting NT$14.66 million. The Changhua District Court sentenced him to two years in prison with five years of probation for violating the Human Organ Transplant Act.
Following the conviction, Minister of Health and Welfare Shih Chung-liang confirmed today that the ministry has decided to revoke Chen's medical license, making this the first case in Taiwan where a doctor's license has been revoked due to illegal organ brokering.
According to the Changhua District Court judgment, between 2016 and 2018, Chen used his clinical hours at Changhua Christian Hospital to identify patients in need of liver or kidney transplants and provided them with contact information for a biotech company head and a woman who had long provided organ transplant services between Taiwan and China.
Total costs for liver transplants ranged from NT$5 million to NT$7.5 million, while kidney transplants cost between NT$3 million and NT$3.5 million. These costs included travel, accommodation, organ purchase fees (approx. 200,000 RMB for kidneys, 350,000-400,000 RMB for livers), doctor fees, brokerage fees, and security/nursing staff, all laundered through underground banking.
Although Chen did not travel with the patients, he would visit China during liver transplant surgeries to provide guidance in the operating room. He also instructed a nurse assistant in Taiwan to go to China to provide post-operative care, paying her NT$200,000 per patient.
Investigations by the Changhua District Prosecutors Office revealed Chen's illegal gains totaled NT$14.66 million. Many patients survived only two or three years after the transplant, with some dying due to transplant failure or within a week of returning to Taiwan.
The court noted that Chen, a well-known figure in the field, should have been fully aware that Taiwan's Human Organ Transplant Act adopts a non-remuneration principle and prohibits commercialization. By brokering transplants for profit, he undermined the principles of equality and non-remuneration.
Considering that Chen confessed and returned all illegal proceeds, the court granted probation. The prosecutor appealed the probation, but the second instance court upheld the original ruling.
Following the conviction, Minister of Health and Welfare Shih Chung-liang confirmed today that the ministry has decided to revoke Chen's medical license, making this the first case in Taiwan where a doctor's license has been revoked due to illegal organ brokering.
According to the Changhua District Court judgment, between 2016 and 2018, Chen used his clinical hours at Changhua Christian Hospital to identify patients in need of liver or kidney transplants and provided them with contact information for a biotech company head and a woman who had long provided organ transplant services between Taiwan and China.
Total costs for liver transplants ranged from NT$5 million to NT$7.5 million, while kidney transplants cost between NT$3 million and NT$3.5 million. These costs included travel, accommodation, organ purchase fees (approx. 200,000 RMB for kidneys, 350,000-400,000 RMB for livers), doctor fees, brokerage fees, and security/nursing staff, all laundered through underground banking.
Although Chen did not travel with the patients, he would visit China during liver transplant surgeries to provide guidance in the operating room. He also instructed a nurse assistant in Taiwan to go to China to provide post-operative care, paying her NT$200,000 per patient.
Investigations by the Changhua District Prosecutors Office revealed Chen's illegal gains totaled NT$14.66 million. Many patients survived only two or three years after the transplant, with some dying due to transplant failure or within a week of returning to Taiwan.
The court noted that Chen, a well-known figure in the field, should have been fully aware that Taiwan's Human Organ Transplant Act adopts a non-remuneration principle and prohibits commercialization. By brokering transplants for profit, he undermined the principles of equality and non-remuneration.
Considering that Chen confessed and returned all illegal proceeds, the court granted probation. The prosecutor appealed the probation, but the second instance court upheld the original ruling.
FAQ
What is Taiwan's organ transplant law?
It adheres to the principle of non-remuneration and prohibits commercial organ transplants.