Chinese hospitals are harvesting up to 11,000 organs from political prisoners without anaesthetic every year , according to a new documentary . Some patients were still alive as they were secretly placed into incinerators in hospital boiler rooms after parts of their bodies had been removed , it has been claimed . One former medical student revealed how ‘ blood was still running ’ as he cut through a body while a health worker told how her husband , a surgeon , had removed corneas from 2,000 people while they were still alive . Scroll down for video . Thousands of organs are being harvested from political prisoners in China with the Falungong group a key target , it is claimed . Members of the group are shown mocking up an operation as part of a 2014 protest . The harrowing details were revealed in the SBS Dateline documentary Human Harvest : China 's Organ Trafficking which charted an eight year investigation in to what is said to be a multi-billion pound ‘ organs-on-demand ’ transplant programme . It reveals Red Cross estimations that just 37 people are registered organ donors in China , even though the country has the second highest rate of transplants in the world . Human Rights lawyer and Nobel peace prize nominee David Matas told Leon Lee ’ s documentary that political prisoners make up the huge difference in the figures – with the banned religious group , the Falun Gong , a key target . ‘ Somebody 's being killed for the organs . There 's no other way to explain what 's happening , ’ he said . Mr Matas added that this explained the short wait for transplants in the country . Human Rights lawyer David Matas ( pictured ) claims people are being killed for organs in China - a country where there are only 37 registered organ donors according to the Red Cross . ‘ Everywhere else in the world it would be months and years . When you book a transplant in advance , for a heart transplant , and you go to China and you get a transplant within a few days. ’ The documentary claims that doctors and medical students in state-run military and civilian hospitals are taking thousands of organs a year from donors while they are still alive . One former health worker is quoted as saying : ‘ I testify to the atrocious crime that the hospital committed in removing livers and corneas from living Falun Gong members . ‘ Some of them were still alive when they were secretly burnt in the incinerator that was in the boiler room. ’ It has been claimed that members of the banned religious group , the Falun Gong , are key targets ( file picture ) One medical student revealed how he took a liver and two kidneys from one person in an operation that took 30 minutes . Chinese officials have denied the allegations , saying that organs are taken from volunteers , the Sydney Morning Herald reports . SBS quotes Health Minister Jiefu Huang as having said in a previous state television interview : 'The main source of our organs is from death row prisoners . ' But China 's government last year vowed that this programme would be wound up by August this year . Officials have faced criticism over the use of death row prisoners , but human rights lawyers involved in the investigation want further action with those responsible brought before the International Criminal Court in The Hague . The documentary aired on Tuesday night on SBS Dateline .
Eight year investigation claims thousands had organs removed in China . Banned religious group Falun Gong is key target , documentary claims . Just 37 registered organ donors in China but country has the world 's second highest rate of transplants . One surgeon is said to have removed corneas from 2,000 living people . Chinese government denies allegations claiming donors are volunteers .