Organ-selling claims must be taken seriously - Health Ministry

PUTRAJAYA - The Health Ministry does not support any parties involved in any activities on procuring organs illegally and unethically.

Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said the claims on organ-selling in the country must be taken seriously by all parties.

"It is a form of exploitation of vulnerable groups and a violation of medical ethics," he said in a statement, today.

He said activities which involved human trafficking for the purpose of selling organs must be investigated under the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007.

The ministry, he said will provide full cooperation to the authorities if an investigation into the matter was needed.

He said organ donation and transplant involved living or cadaveric organ donors and recipients (of the organ) who were patients with organ failure such as kidney, liver, heart or lungs.

"The ministry's policy is clear under the Human Tissues Act 1974 that regulates the activities organ procuring for treatement purposes from cadaveric donors," he said.

Dr Noor Hisham said in order to tighten the governance of the transplant service in the country, the ministry has set up a transplant committee to monitor organ donation programmes among living donor-recipient pairs who do not have a family relationship or pairs who were non-citizens.

He added that the committee will carefully assess various aspects including the medical issue, mental health and also the socioeconomic background of all applications for a transplant surgery to ensure potential donors have a good support system and to ensure their well-being was not affected after the surgery.

"The establishment of an orderly service is important to protect the rights of potential donors and ensure their organ donation was not coerced or have elements of trafficking," he said.

He said in order to increase public awareness on organ donation and transplant, the ministry will continue to cooperate with organisations and agencies to educate the public on ethical organ donation.

"The Health Ministry calls on all Malaysians to always be aware and pledge to be organ donors and inform their families of the intention to do so to ensure the success of an ethical transplant service in the country," he said.

On Monday, Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal (PN-Machang) in a press conference at the Parliament lobby said there were those who had to sell their kidney to sustain a livelihood following the government's decision to not allow targeted Employees Provident Funds (EPF) withdrawals.

“If targeted EPF withdrawals are not allowed, what is the government’s suggestion to help the people who are struggling, to the point that some had to sell their kidneys, or walk from Johor to Istana Negara?.

"This is something huge that involves pubic interest,” he was reported saying.