A member of China's top political advisory body said on Saturday that China will increase the number of organ transplant centers to 500 within five years, from the current 169, to meet growing demand.

Speaking on the sidelines of the annual plenary session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference National Committee, Huang Jiefu - who is a member of that body and chairman of the China National Organ Donation and Transplantation Committee - told China Daily that "more competent organ transplant surgeons will be trained to enable more needy patients to have the lifesaving procedure".

Around 10,000 transplants a year are performed in China, while 300,000 patients await the surgery, according to the country's top health authority.