Materia Medica Malaysiana

Few Malays donating organs

THE Malays, who are generally Muslims, have shied away from pledging their organs although a fatwa (religious edict) allows them to donate or undergo an organ transplant.

Out of nearly 80,200 Malaysians who have pledged their organs, 65% were Chinese and 22% Indians while the Malays made up just 9%, according to Berita Harian.

The paper quoted deputy director-general of Health Datuk Dr Ismail Merican as saying that the lukewarm response was due more to cultural than religious convictions.

“Malays are conservative. They would even avoid a post mortem or have any organs separated from the body as it would be deemed disrespectful to the deceased,” he said.

However, the Malays top the list of those waiting for organ transplants.