Organ Donors On The Rise In Malaysia
PUTRAJAYA: The Organ Donation Public Awareness Sub-Committee has targeted 80,000 pledges from the public by the end of the year.
Its chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye said response had been very encouraging since the campaign to promote public awareness on organ donation was launched some years ago.
"The latest promotion drive, he added, would involve the sub-committee working jointly with taxi associations in the Klang Valley."
"Last year, we had similar joint campaigns with bus companies, where they agreed to display information on organ donation on the back of their seats, and telephone numbers through which the public can get in touch with our transplant centres."
"We have also started a campaign with the operators of Putra-LRT whereby they print organ donation messages on their tickets."
"It is not easy to determine how successful these campaigns have been but as of April, we have registered some 69,223 pledges from the public to donate their organs," he said after launching a one-day seminar on organ transplant at the Putrajaya Hospital here yesterday.
"This is a very high number since we first started in 1997 with only over 2,000 pledges. This is recognition that our past campaigns have borne fruit. We hope to achieve our target of having 80,000 pledges by year's end," he said.
Lee said the sub-committee had already written letters to taxi associations in the Klang Valley, inviting them for meetings on the topic.
"We decided to target taxi drivers in our campaign as we feel that they come in contact with many passengers every day and this will enable us to disseminate the information better," he said.
Such campaigns, added Lee, had been especially successful with the young as they now formed 37.5% of the organ pledges.
"The number of pledges from among the Malays has also increased dramatically from 68 in 1998 to 1,996 organ pledges last year," he said.
Federal Territory Health Department director Dr Ang Kim Teng said the campaigns would not only affect those wanting to pledge their organs.
"Indirectly, they also work on the family members of the organ donors. At present, some family members may be reluctant to give up the organs of their loved ones or have problems accepting their death when approached by hospital staff."
"Hopefully, such public messages will help to prepare them psychologically when the time comes and they will be more ready to approve such organ donations," she said.
For those wishing to pledge their organs, call 1-800-88-9080.
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This article posted June 4, 2003.