A Malaysian tourist who suffered fatal injuries while traveling in China has drawn attention online after Chinese state media reported that his organs were donated following a declaration of brain death.
According to Malaysian newspaper Oriental Daily, the victim, 34-year-old Malaysian Chinese diving instructor Guo Jiajun, traveled to Fujian province with his girlfriend in late February. During the trip he suffered an accident and later died from severe injuries.
Guo’s mother and sister reportedly traveled to Fuzhou from Malaysia and Dubai to say their final goodbyes. His mother later agreed to donate his organs, saying the decision respected her son’s willingness to help others during his lifetime.
China’s Fujian Daily reported that on March 5 Guo’s family signed legal consent documents for organ donation. Doctors from Mengchao Hepatobiliary Hospital of Fujian Medical University, working together with a local Organ Procurement Organization, carried out the surgical procedure.
According to the report, Guo’s liver, kidneys, and corneas were successfully retrieved. Doctors said the transplants allowed three patients to receive life-saving treatment while two others regained their sight.
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State media described the case as Fujian’s first instance of organ donation by a foreign national.
After the reports circulated online, the case attracted widespread discussion among overseas Chinese communities and social media users. Some questioned how compatible transplant recipients could be identified so quickly.
Comments circulating on social media raised questions about whether such rapid matching is typical in medical practice and whether China’s transplant system could identify multiple recipients within a short time frame.
Some commenters said the reports reinforced concerns about traveling to China.
Debate over brain-death donation cases
In recent years Chinese state media outlets have repeatedly reported cases in which patients declared brain dead donated multiple organs.
Some observers online say that in a number of reported cases, patients were initially hospitalized for relatively minor accidents or illnesses that later developed into brain death.
Critics have speculated that in some situations organ matching may occur before brain death is officially declared. Such claims remain disputed and are difficult to independently verify.
Some commentators on the social media platform X have argued that organs used for transplantation must remain viable at the time of surgery. They say determinations of brain death are typically made by expert panels and claim that organ transplantation has developed into a significant medical industry in China.
Henan boy’s case draws attention
Another widely discussed case involved a 14-year-old boy in Jiyuan, Henan province.
According to a report by the Chinese newspaper Dahe Daily, the boy, Ni Haichao, fell from a building on Oct. 11, 2025 and was treated in intensive care for more than 20 days before being declared brain dead on Oct. 30.
The following day, accompanied by two organ-donation coordinators, his mother signed an organ donation confirmation form.
Within 24 hours the boy’s liver, kidneys, lungs, and corneas were transplanted, with doctors saying the procedures helped save six people.
The boy’s mother later said that when he was taken into the operating room before the organ retrieval surgery, his hands still felt warm.
The remark triggered discussion online, with some users questioning whether doctors had exhausted all possible life-saving measures before proceeding with organ donation.
Kidney disappearance case
Separate from brain-death donation cases, Chinese media have also reported incidents involving missing organs after surgery.
According to Hong Kong Economic Times, a 25-year-old man in Yunnan province named Li Xiaobin was injured in a traffic accident in March 2016 and taken to hospital for emergency surgery.
Doctors initially told his family that his right kidney had been removed due to injury. After he was transferred to another hospital, however, medical examinations indicated that both kidneys were missing.
Li had been admitted to Menghai County Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital after crashing his electric three-wheel vehicle down a steep roadside slope when the brakes failed.
His wife later said he entered the operating room at 5:40 p.m. and was not brought out until 10:30 p.m. During the five-hour operation the attending doctor reportedly entered and exited the operating room several times, telling the family the patient was in critical condition but not mentioning the removal of a kidney.
After he was transferred to Xishuangbanna Prefecture Hospital the following day, Li reportedly stopped producing urine and developed severe swelling. His weight increased to 83 kilograms from his usual 60 kilograms.
On March 20 a doctor reportedly mentioned contacting a kidney donor source, prompting the family to seek clarification. They then learned that both of Li’s kidneys had been removed.
Hospital officials later said imaging scans showed that Li had a rare “horseshoe kidney,” and doctors decided to remove both kidneys during surgery.
Li later applied for medical malpractice evaluation twice. Authorities eventually ruled that Menghai County Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital bore primary responsibility for the medical incident.
The hospital accepted the decision and agreed to pay 300,000 yuan, about $41,000, to cover more than five months of dialysis expenses.
By Cai Siyun
Editor’s Note: This article cites Chinese state media reports, Malaysian media coverage, and online commentary. Allegations related to China’s organ transplant system remain disputed and have not been independently verified.
