China needs an organ-transplant law to regulate donation procedures and encourage and help people to become donors, law makers said on the sidelines of the annual full session of the National People's Congress (NPC).

NPC deputy Li Bangliang, board chairman of East China Pharmaceutical Group Corporation, said a proper law is needed to guide the public on how to donate their organs if they wish to do so.

"With a large number of organs in need, some people want to donate but often run into difficulties in the application process," said Li, adding a specific law should be enacted to standardize the application and transplant process."

China faces a huge shortfall in organ donations. About 1.5 million patients need organ transplants each year, but only 10,000 can find donors, according to statistics from the Ministry of Health.

Most organs are donated by people upon their death after the voluntary signing of donation agreements.

Chinese people's traditional view of "living till the last breath" has hampered living human organ supply, said NPC deputy Chen Haixiao, head of Taizhou Hospital in China's eastern Zhejiang Province.

"Social customs are a big reason," said Chen.

He suggested the law allow doctors to declare people brain dead so their organs can be used to save the lives of others.

"It will benefit many patients if the public can consider the donation as charity," said Chen.

Last year, the Ministry of Health sent a set of regulations on human organ transplants to the State Council for revision and improvement.