Organ donor registrations surge to record 400,000: health minister

A record high of over 400,000 voluntary registrations are in the Centralized Organ Donation Register, Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau said as he urged citizens to continue registering actively.

Speaking at a thanksgiving ceremony to promote organ donation on Sunday, Lo said “Historical records are meant to be broken,” stressing the current registered number still has significant potential for growth, given Hong Kong’s population of 7.5 million.

He noted that there have been two remarkable cross-border organ donation cases in the past two years, including successful heart transplants for four-month-old baby girl Tsz-hei and eight-month-old baby girl Whitney.

Lo expressed deep gratitude to the donors’ parents for their courageous decision to donate their child’s organs during such a painful time, which led to these miraculous outcomes.

The Hong Kong Society of Transplantation President James Fung Yan-yue stated that a total of 2,163 patients have received organ donations over the past 15 years. 

However, he indicated that Hong Kong has one of the lowest organ donation rates in the world, averaging about 3.6 donors per million people.

“Therefore, every organ donated in Hong Kong over the past two years is a very special and precious gift,” Fung said, adding that over 2,600 patients are still on the waiting list for organ transplants.

He thanked all organ donors and their families, urging continued support from the public for organ donation.

President of the Hong Kong Academy of Medicine Philip Li Kam-tao stated that while the city’s organ transplantation techniques have improved and successful cases are increasing, public awareness of organ donation needs enhancement. 

He noted the academy’s newly established organ donation task group aims to promote a culture of donation through education and collaboration, seeking to improve public understanding and encourage support for this life-saving initiative.

(Cheng Wong)