Materia Medica Malaysiana

Policy on organ transplant to be reviewed

KUALA LUMPUR - The policy allowing transplant of organs from unrelated living donors is to be reviewed, said Health Minister Chua Soi Lek yesterday.

He said the medical fraternity worldwide viewed the practice as unethical as it could encourage trade in human organs.

Malaysia is one of only three countries that allow such transplants.

'We have specialists who argue that unrelated organ transplant...is unethical and should not be encouraged,' Dr Chua said.

'We will evaluate the policy if it can be allowed or not. We want to protect the image of the Malaysian medical fraternity...we are looking into it seriously.'

Such transplants are authorised after donors are evaluated by specialists, a three-week process.

'When the authorities evaluate the donors, the media says that three weeks is too long and that it is a bureaucratic process or red tape that was hampering efforts to save a patient.

'The other two countries which allow unrelated organ transplant take up to six months to give their approval,' Dr Chua said.

But transplants involving related donors would not be banned, he added.

He encouraged Malaysians, particularly Muslims, to opt for organ donation, allowing organs to be removed after they die.

According to Health Ministry statistics, Chinese accounted for 80 per cent of the people from whom organs had been removed after death, Indians 10 per cent and other races the rest, he said.

'I am surprised with this because as far as I am made to understand, Islam does not disapprove of Muslims donating their organs after their death,' he added. -- Bernama