Replies to LegCo questions
LCQ20: Organ donation
Following is a question by the Dr Hon Kwok Ka-ki and a written reply by the Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food, Dr York Chow, in the Legislative Council today (February 22):
Question:
Will the Government inform this Council of:
(a) the current professional codes or legislation regulating the donation of
bodies of the dead, organs, bone marrows, blood, human genes and other cell
tissues, as well as the organisations storing such donations; and of the
procedures, manpower and other resources involved in the regulatory work;
(b) the current number of patients in need of organ transplant; the type and
number of organs required, and the current position regarding the donation of
these organs; the patients' average waiting time for organ transplant; and the
respective numbers of cases in which the patients gave up waiting, died while
waiting and underwent organ transplant; and
(c) the measures to enhance civic education in order to encourage the public to
donate their organs, and the measures to remind the persons and organisations
involved in organ donation to pay attention to medical ethics and morality and
make proper use of donated organs for medical, academic and scientific research
purposes?
Reply:
Madam President,
(a) The Hospital Authority (HA) is taking reference from established guidelines
in handling deceased patients. Contents of the guideline was drawn up based on
the following three Ordinances -
* Medical (Therapy, Education and Research) Ordinance (Cap. 278)
* Human Organ Transplant Ordinance (Cap. 465)
* Coroners Ordinance (Cap. 504)
The above Ordinances have a very broad coverage, including the specific
regulation that under what circumstances (including the consent of the
registered next of kin of the deceased), the person who has lawful possession of
the body of a deceased person who has died in a hospital, nursing home or other
similar institutions, may remove any part from the body for use for therapeutic
purposes or for purposes of medical education or research; and to prohibit
commercial dealings in human organs intended for transplanting, but allowing
with the approval of the Human Organ Transplant Board under certain
circumstances, transplant of organs between living persons.
In addition, the Coroners Ordinance has provisions for the appointment, duties
and powers of coroners, for the reporting of certain deaths, for the duties of
registered medical practitioners in connection with dead bodies, for matters
preliminary to inquests, for matters relating to inquests, and for matters
incidental thereto or connected therewith.
(b) Details about the type and number of patients in need of organ transplant
and the waiting time as well as the statistics on patients who gave up waiting
or died while waiting and successful organ transplant cases are shown in Annexes
(a) and (b).
(c) To enhance public awareness and support for organ donation, the Central
Health Education Unit of the Department of Health (DH) has regularly
disseminated the relevant messages through the following channels:
* Audio and visual materials - videotapes and display boards are on loan for
free from DH to organisers for their promotional activities. DH also arranges
for the distribution of leaflets and organ donation cards. In 2005, more than 30
000 leaflets and 150 000 organ donation cards were distributed by DH.
* Electronic media - free access to information on organ donation is available
for the public through the website of the Central Health Education Unit and the
24-hour Health Education Hotline (2833 0111).
* Donormobile - the Donormobile keeps a stock of educational resources on organ
donation for public access during its regular visits to public housing estates
and schools. Visits to more than 50 locations were made in 2005.
Moreover, HA has been working closely with other stakeholders to take forward
the cause. A wide variety of publicity and educational activities have been held
to foster a positive attitude among the public towards organ donation and
encourage people to make the voluntary choice. Measures on this front include:
* HA joins hands with the mass media to produce special programmes from time to
time, and organises seminars and distributes leaflets to promote the
significance and importance of organ donation and to enhance public education;
* To maintain liaison with the Hong Kong Medical Association to publicise the
computerised central organ donation register;
* To enlist the support of organ transplant patients and their families to
promote the message of organ donation; and
* HA organises seminars regularly for its health care workers especially those
in frequent contact with potential organ donors, such as staff working in the
intensive care unit and neurosurgery unit, to familiarise them with the relevant
knowledge on organ donation.
Ends/Wednesday, February 22, 2006
Issued at HKT 13:05
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Annex (a) & (b) to LCQ20