Hospital staff amazed by organ donation surgery

Star: MALACCA: The gift of life is always special, all the more so when several organs are donated to help other live. As such, the surgery to remove multiple organs from a 19-year-old student at the Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) Hospital proved to be an eye-opener for the hospital's medical staff.
Many who were off duty returned to the hospital in Kubang Kerian, Kelantan, while others stayed on after work on May 11 to witness the retrieval of organs and tissues donated by student Teoh Chit Hwa.
The surgery was carried out by a team of surgeons flown in from the Klang Valley.
“This is a breakthrough for the hospital, and has helped to motivate the staff and increase awareness of organ donation,” said Prof Ab Rani Samsudin, dean of USM's School of Dental Sciences.
He said the medical staff were amazed by the teamwork and coordination involved, and several days later were still talking about the organ donation procedure.
The 14-member team that procured the organs consisted of staff from the National Heart Institute, Hospital Kuala Lumpur and Selayang Hospital, who had raced against time to get Chit Hwa's heart, kidneys and liver back to the Klang Valley for transplant operations.
Chit Hwa, 19, who died of a brain tumour, was the first person to donate his heart, liver, kidneys, bones and skin at USM Hospital.
National Transplant Resource Centre senior transplant co-ordinator Jamaliah Kario, who was with the team, said it was unusual to see such a crowd of observers during a procurement operation.
“Many were curious,” she said.
According to the resource centre's chief transplant coordinator Dr Lela Yasmin Mansor, a case like Chit Hwa's was the best way to increase awareness of organ donation.
“They might have heard about it but have not been really touched.
“Nothing beats real experience,” she said.