Organ donors can benefit many patients

Star: MALACCA: A bone donor can benefit 20 to 25 people who suffer from bone-related diseases.
Like the cornea, bones are considered tissue and can be retrieved from a person who has died no longer than six hours ago.
Professor Ab Rani Samsudin, dean of Universiti Sains Malaysia's (USM) School of Dental Sciences, said a donor’s bones would be cut into small pieces and used for patients who suffer from bone-related diseases or loss of bones in accidents.
A donor’s skin can be used to treat two to three burn victims, or in the case of children, five to six patients.
Thus, the multiple organs and tissue donated by 19-year-old student Teoh Chit Hwa on May 11 benefited up to 35 people.
While the heart, liver and kidneys were transplanted on patients, the bones and tissues were kept at the National Tissue Bank in USM Hospital in Kelantan.
“Demand for bones is high and the supply is never enough,” said Professor Ab Rani who helped set up the tissue bank.
He also predicted that the bones donated by Chit Hwa would be used up in three months, although bones could be kept in the tissue bank for several years.
Professor Ab Rani said whenever there was a request made for bones, and there was none in the tissue bank, he would source from nearby countries such as Singapore, Thailand and Sri Lanka.
Records from the National Transplant Resource Centre showed that a total of 24 cadaveric donors had given bones so far.
There were two bone donors last year, and five each in 2004 and 2003.