China's Health Ministry has ordered medical institutions to obtain informed consent of volunteers or their guardians before the trial application of medical devices.

The move was part of the ministry's measures to ensure the quality of medical safety and safeguard patients' interests, according to a notice posted on the ministry Web site Friday.

All trial use of medical apparatus should be free of charge and medical institutions are required to produce clinical test results, it said.

Before putting the medical devices into trial use, medical institutions are obliged to report to medical administrations that have authorized its production and take effective measures to protect volunteers' safety in the process, it said.

(Xinhua News Agency September 6, 2009)