The Ministry of Health (MOH) on Monday issued a circular calling for tighter supervision of human organ transplants, and announced a new round of crackdowns on illegal operations, Xinhua News Agency reported.

The crackdown, which would continue until the end of 2011, would mainly target illegal organ transplants performed by medical institutions without transplant qualifications, the ministry said in the circular.

The MOH's recent moves come in the wake of a widely reported case of a 26-year-old who had had his kidney forcibly removed by staff at a hospital in Linfen, Shanxi Province, the Beijing Evening News reported on Monday.

The victim, Hu Jie, had gone to an underground kidney market and discussed selling his kidney in order to pay back his 18,000 yuan (US$2,757) of debt last year. However, when he decided to abandon the plan at the last moment, personnel from the market as well as Changliang Hospital in Linfen forced him to go through with it, China National Radio reported.

The Shanxi health ministry confirmed the report and ordered the hospital to suspend its operations, according to Global Times.

Medical institutions involved in illegal organ transplants would face a fine of eight to ten times their illegal gains and would be ordered to conduct an institutional overhaul or risk losing their license, the ministry said.

Doctors who perform the organ transplants would lose their medical licenses, according to the circular.

Supervisors involved in illegal transplants would face demotion, removal from post, or prosecution in the legal system if they face criminal charges.