1 December 2014 @ 8:08 AM
KOTA KINABALU: About 700 people pledged to become organ donors after volunteers approached visitors at the Gaya Street market here yesterday.
The 300 volunteers comprised health personnel, health-allied students from colleges and universities, as well as non-governmental organisation members, who had been trained and were well-informed about organ donation.
The National Organ Donation Public Awareness Action Committee chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye in closing the programme said he hoped the continuous efforts would see at least 300,000 people pledging their organs by the end of this month.
“From 1997 to October this year, 269,961 people have registered as organ donors, which is only 0.9 per cent of the population in Malaysia.
“But, there are about 18,000 people waiting for their turn to receive functioning organs, especially kidneys.”
Lee said he was optimistic that such walkabout programmes would be able to educate more people about organ donation.
As 39 per cent of pledgers were 21-year-olds, Lee encouraged them to inform their families about their decision to become organ donors.
A brain dead donor can save up to eight patients by donating his organs, such as heart, lung, liver, kidney and tissues, cornea, heart valve, bone and skin.
Present at the programme yesterday were Sabah Health Department director Dr Christina Rundi, Queen Elizabeth Hospital director Dr Heric Corray and Sabah Transplant Acquisition Manager Dr Cheah Phee Kheng.
Dr Rundi said a Sabah Transplant Resource Centre would be housed at the new building of Queen Elizabeth Hospital in the future.
“The ministry has been promoting this through road shows, seminars and dialogues. The setting up of an information centre here is to allow potential pledgers to get information.”
KOTA KINABALU: About 700 people pledged to become organ donors after volunteers approached visitors at the Gaya Street market here yesterday.
The 300 volunteers comprised health personnel, health-allied students from colleges and universities, as well as non-governmental organisation members, who had been trained and were well-informed about organ donation.
The National Organ Donation Public Awareness Action Committee chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye in closing the programme said he hoped the continuous efforts would see at least 300,000 people pledging their organs by the end of this month.
“From 1997 to October this year, 269,961 people have registered as organ donors, which is only 0.9 per cent of the population in Malaysia.
“But, there are about 18,000 people waiting for their turn to receive functioning organs, especially kidneys.”
Lee said he was optimistic that such walkabout programmes would be able to educate more people about organ donation.
As 39 per cent of pledgers were 21-year-olds, Lee encouraged them to inform their families about their decision to become organ donors.
A brain dead donor can save up to eight patients by donating his organs, such as heart, lung, liver, kidney and tissues, cornea, heart valve, bone and skin.
Present at the programme yesterday were Sabah Health Department director Dr Christina Rundi, Queen Elizabeth Hospital director Dr Heric Corray and Sabah Transplant Acquisition Manager Dr Cheah Phee Kheng.
Dr Rundi said a Sabah Transplant Resource Centre would be housed at the new building of Queen Elizabeth Hospital in the future.
“The ministry has been promoting this through road shows, seminars and dialogues. The setting up of an information centre here is to allow potential pledgers to get information.”
National Organ Donation Public Awareness
Action Committee chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye (left) speaking to a
stall operator about organ donation at the Gaya Street market in Kota
Kinabalu yesterday. Pic by Malai Rosmah Tuah
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