RM30mil to boost heart and lung transplants

Star: PUTRAJAYA: Some RM30mil has been “pumped” into the coffers of the National Heart Institute (IJN) to boost its heart and lung transplant team. And the Health Ministry has also requested for more than RM100mil to jump-start its organ transplantation policy.
Its minister Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek told reporters yesterday the Cabinet had on Wednesday approved his request for the money to be given to IJN, which had done a “very good job” and “did the nation proud.”
The funds would also benefit its mechanical heart programme.
“The Cabinet asked why we were asking for so little. They said even if it was RM1bil, they would approve it,” he said.
“The first step is to help IJN strengthen its heart and lung transplant team, including for training and equipment.”
The IJN recently carried out a double heart transplant surgery on 14-year-old Tee Hui Yi and a lung transplant on a 39-year-old man.
The National Organ, Tissue and Cell Transplantation Policy, which was formulated in June this year, is meant for promotional activities and strengthening the current transplantation services, laboratory support services and national registries.
Dr Chua said it would serve as a guideline for organ transplantation in the country, which so far has been carried out on an ad hoc basis.
A National Transplantation Council chaired by the ministry’s director-general would oversee all policies related to transplantation and the progress while a technical committee headed by its deputy director-general would decide on issues such as new approaches.
On keeping the identities of organ donors confidential, Dr Chua said it was a general policy to not allow the recipient to meet the donor's family if they were not blood relatives.