But many are still hesitant when
asked if they would do the same thing and donate a kidney to a stranger.
This despite the long wait by
those in desperate need of a kidney transplant.
As of March, there are 448
patients on the national waiting list for a kidney transplant, said a Ministry
of Health (MOH) spokesman.
And as of Dec 31 last year, it
took a median waiting time of nine years for a patient to get a kidney from a
deceased donor, the spokesman said.
Some died while waiting for a
kidney.
This highlights the scarcity of
donors, said Dr Chia Shi-Lu, a member of the Governmental Parliamentary
Committee (GPC) for Health.
He said: "It's a great story
and one we hope to hear more of.
"The problem, as you're
aware with transplants, is the scarcity of donors and also still some lack of
knowledge (among) the general public of what organ transplantation entails and
also an appreciation of the demands and risks."
Dr Akira Wu, 62, a renal
physician at Mount Elizabeth Medical Centre, noted the urgent need for more
kidney donors.
He said: "We are seeing a
shrinking pool of deceased organ donors and are relying more on living
donors."
Dr Lam Pin Min, chairman of the
(GPC) for Health, said that many transplant centres overseas rely on living
donors as an important kidney source.
But such unconventional
altruistic donation has not become widely accepted because of the difficult
ethical issues raised by this practice.
He said: "This is especially
when the donor happens to be a stranger, and there is always a lingering doubt
on the underlying motivation for the donation."
The concerns are:
The safety and welfare of the
donor, particularly since the donor has a less favourable risk-benefit profile;
The procedure to remove a kidney
is relatively safe but is not risk-free. A donor could potentially die if there
are any rare complications.
The donor's motivation. The
establishment of using strangers as donors would set transplant medicine on a
slippery slope towards potential commercialisation of vital organs.
But Dr Lam added that there are
counter-arguments.
The desire to donate an organ to
a stranger is not necessarily a pathological obsession or something sinister,
he said.
He said: "In fact, if the
offer to donate is made altruistically, there is a greater likelihood that the
patient is truly acting autonomously after much careful consideration.
"These altruistic donors are
the only living donors that can truly give informed consent, since there are no
overlying emotional concerns or sense of obligation that would invalidate
voluntary consent."
He also said that some people do
believe in the psychological benefit of such donations.
He said: "It had been
suggested that unrelated donors may experience an even more enhanced sense of
self-esteem compared to related donors since no sense of obligation exists,
making the act of donation truly extraordinary."
"This one guy, Mr Lin Dilun,
has made me change my opinion and the way I look at people. No one would donate
a kidney to become famous among peers and countrymen. I feel that his desire to
help the kid and a fellow countryman comes straight from his heart. It is time
to look at ourselves in the mirror and say, Have we done enough?"
- Chef-instructor Vanukuri Kalyan
Chakravarthi, 31
"He has not only shown the
world what it means to 'put ourselves in other people's shoes' but also in
turning words or thoughts into meaningful actions. Although I can't give you a
concrete yes regarding donating to a stranger, what Dilun has done has opened
my heart towards such issues."
- Undergraduate Elroy Lim, 25
"He has done an
extraordinary act... His courage and bravery are a new source of inspiration
for many of us. I'm very proud to have him as a friend."
- Undergraduate Priscilla Nui
Zhao Qi, 23, on Mr Lin, her secondary schoolmate
"It is quite novel. I can't
imagine doing it. I'm quite shocked, actually, when I read about it. I don't
think I would give my kidney to a random person if I've not met the person and
he has not made an impact in my life."
- Secondary school student Melissa
Jane Heybourn, 16
Chai Hung Yin
The New Paper
AsiaOne
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