The Donor Appreciation Ceremony of The Society of Transplantation

27 Oct 2007
By Mr Heng Chee How
Venue: The Japanese Garden

Dr Lye Wai Chong
President, Society of Transplantation

Assoc Prof Vathsala
Vice-President, and Organising Chairman, Donor Appreciation Ceremony

Ladies and gentlemen

Introduction
It is a privilege for me to be here today to honour those who have donated organs or tissues to those with organ or tissue failure.

Every year in Singapore, over 100 patients received a kidney, liver, heart, lung or corneal transplant either from a living or deceased donor. Singapore’s transplantation rate has been growing steadily but the number of patients who require a transplant is also on the rise. Although living donor kidney and liver transplantation is available as an option for some patients, not all patients have suitable living donors. Furthermore, some conditions such as end stage heart or lung failure or corneal blindness can only be treated with a transplant from a deceased donor, namely those who have died recently in a hospital. Medical advances have made it possible for organs and tissues obtained from deceased donors to be transplanted into completely unrelated individuals; these organs or tissues can then function in patients with organ and tissue failure, to give life and restore health. In patients with organ failure, the transplanted heart beats, the lungs breathe, the kidney purifies the blood of poisons, the eyes see - all because someone donated an organ or a tissue to someone in need. Indeed, transplantation adds not only years to the lives of those in need, but also life to those years. 

Transplantation however would not be possible without the generosity and sacrifice of donors. In the case of living donor transplantation, often a close relative has to undergo surgery so as to help someone he or she loves to lead a better life after a kidney or liver transplant. In the case of deceased donors, the generosity and sacrifice comes from the family of the donor. In such cases, the individual may have been involved in a serious and tragic road traffic accident or suffered a serious stroke and succumbed to the sudden illness in the Intensive Care Unit. In their time of grief, and despite their tremendous sorrow, these families have to reach for strength within themselves to proceed with organ donation, so as to help others live and lead better lives.

The benefits of organ donation are multiple. The donation of organs from one deceased donor in Singapore can help as many as 6 individuals: 1 heart failure patient, 1 liver failure patient, 2 patients with kidney failure and 2 patients with corneal disease could each benefit from a transplant. In addition, 2 spaces for expensive dialysis treatment can be freed for patients with kidney failure. If bones, skin and lung are donated as well, many more will benefit from the donation.

Organ donation can also bring comfort to the family of the deceased donor. Though the death of their loved one might have been tragic and unavoidable; in donating the organs, the family of the deceased can be assured that in some ways their loved one’s death was not in vain. The fact that the donation has saved so many sufferers will help give meaning to the life that has passed on.

Promoting Organ Donation
The Ministry of Health has been promoting organ donation since the early years of transplantation in Singapore. Since 1972, the Medical Therapy, Research and Education Act has allowed individuals over the age of 18 to pledge their organs, with the gift to taking effect upon their death. However, worldwide and especially in our Asian culture, we do not like to think about death or make decisions about death and thus, very few pledges were recorded. In the 15 years from 1972 to 1988, only 26,000 pledges were recorded among Singaporeans and Permanent Residents. Public consultation in the mid 1980’s indicated that most Singaporeans had no objections to donating their organs after their death. Thus in 1987, the Human Organ Transplant Act was passed. This law presumed that the individual had consented to organ donation unless he had objected during his lifetime. Initially, this law was applied for the removal of kidneys from persons who died in accidents. The Act was then revised in 2004 to allow for the removal of liver, heart and corneas, in addition to kidneys, and to cover all causes of death.

With these efforts, many more have benefited from transplantation in Singapore. In the last 37 years of transplantation in Singapore, the lives of over 1,029 patients have been saved by transplanting a heart, liver or kidney. Yet another 774 patients have benefited from a cornea transplant.

Today we are gathered here to honor the 706 donors whose organs have been donated in Singapore. Some were HOTA donors, and other had pledged under MTERA. No matter how the donation occurred, all the donors are heroes in our eyes. I am joined here today by many organ and tissue recipients who would like to also express their gratitude to those who have donated an organ; this gratitude is also extended to the family members of the donors.

Let us remember and honor these donors in our own hearts and minds. On this note, I would like to invite the families of our past donors who are here today to receive the Medal of Honor for their courageous act of sacrifice.

Thank you.