The Ministry of Health and Welfare said Friday it would amend enforcement decrees on organ transplants, and put it on public notice until the end of next month.

The revision will include hands, arms and peripheral blood in the scope of transplantable organs, it said.

The change comes in response to the increasing demand for hand and arm transplants following the first hand transplant conducted in Korea in February. Statistics show that the country has around 7,000 disabled people with hand and arm defects, signaling rising demand for these transplants.

Surgeons prepare for surgery by separating tendons and nerves from the donor’s arm during the nation's first hand transplant at W Hospital in Daegu.

The ministry said it would manage the process systematically.

The law will also simplify the donor’s application procedure to help them get paid leaves upon donation. Revisions will also streamline the selection criteria for cardiac and lung transplant applicants by removing five factors, such age or weight, used to grade donor’s organs.

Currently, there has been a total of 100 cases of arm transplants in the world with Korea being the fourth country to do so in Asia after China, Malaysia, and Taiwan.

The ministry plans to collect opinions from the public during the legislative notice period before finalizing the revised bill.

Meanwhile, Son Jin-wook, the first Korean to get hand transplant in February, will throw the first ball before a Samsung Lions’ game in Daegu Friday.

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