Organ Transplant Recipients Warn of Donor Crisis in Hong Kong
Organ transplant recipients in Hong Kong are appealing to the public to reconsider their decision to withdraw from the city's centralized organ donation register, as nearly 6,000 residents have done so in recent months.
Although many of these individuals never actually put themselves on the list, the withdrawals have created a backlog for those waiting for life-saving organ transplants.
Tony Tsang and Allen Mar are just two of the many transplant patients who have had their lives turned around by new hearts.
However, they have been waiting on the waiting list for years, and the recent withdrawals have only added to their frustration.
Sammy Heung, a transplant patient, shared his story with the media.
"I felt like I was waiting to die," he said.
"I had been on the waiting list for nearly two years before I finally received my new heart.
I don't know how much longer I would have had to wait if I had not received the transplant." Cheng Ka-yan, the manager of Grantham Hospital's cardiac medicine ward, also spoke out about the issue.
"It is so frustrating to see so many people withdraw from the donation register," she said.
"I understand that people may have concerns about the process, but I urge them to consider the lives that could be saved if they change their minds." The Hong Kong medical community is urging the public to reconsider their decision to withdraw from the organ donation register.
"We need more people to come forward and donate organs," said Dr. Susan Leung, a leading transplant surgeon.
"Everyone who puts their name on the donation register has the potential to save up to eight lives, and we need more people to do that." [Cheng Ka-yan (left), manager of Grantham Hospital’s cardiac medicine ward, with transplant patients Tony Tsang and Allen Mar.
Photo: Yik Yeung-man] Cheng Ka-yan (left), manager of Grantham Hospital's cardiac medicine ward, with transplant patients Tony Tsang and Allen Mar.