Four get corneas, thanks to new organ transplant Act

By Lee Hui Chieh

Three men and a woman have become the first beneficiaries of amendments to the Human Organ Transplant Act (Hota), which came into effect on July 1.

The men, aged 21, 25 and 81, and a woman, 44, received corneas, as a result of an expanded list of organs which can be taken from donors.

Four other women received kidneys, but the hearts and livers of the two donors - also now on the expanded list - were not suitable for transplant.

The kidney recipients, aged between 33 and 49, had waited between six and 10 years for a transplant.

Two, a clerical officer and a housewife, are mothers of two. The third is a clerk who is married without children, and the youngest a mechanical designer who is single.

Under the original Act, passed in 1987, kidneys of Singaporeans who died in accidents were automatically taken, unless they had previously opted out or were Muslims who had not opted in.

The Act was expanded in January this year, to include hearts, livers and corneas, from brain-dead donors.

The changes are expected to yield 12 more donors a year, giving hope to the 18 who die while waiting for a liver or a heart.

Public reaction to the amended Hota appears to be mixed.

From January to June, 1,400 people opted out of the Act, compared to a total of 12,700 in the previous 17 years, or an average of 747 each year.

But more Muslims have pledged to donate their organs, 230 from January to June, bringing the total to 15,000. An average of 400 Muslims pledged their organs in each of the last three years.

Even with the publicity given to the changes, many people still do not know what they entail, said Ms Sally Kong, senior manager of the Ministry of Health's organ transplant unit.

This was the case even before the Act was amended, she said, so more education is needed to raise public awareness about organ donation.

That means transplant coordinators still have a challenge on their hands, explaining to bereaved families how the new Act affects them.

Ms Kong said: 'Most people know a little about it, that it has to do with organ donation, but don't know about its extent, and never think that it will apply to them.

'We usually need to console them and counsel them with great sensitivity for them to accept it, and this has always been the most difficult part.'

Copyright © 2004 Singapore Press Holdings.

This article posted August 4, 2004.