The Health Bureau (SSM) launched an online registration service for organ donations in September 2018 – and the bureau has announced that since then the number had reached about 6,380 organ donation registrations as of the end of last year, of which over 4,420 had completed the whole registration process, representing a 6.6 percent increase in total registrations between the end of 2023 and the end of last year.
The bureau announced the figure last month in a reply to a written interpellation by lawmaker Ron Lam U Tou submitted in mid-January. Lam released the written reply to the media on Saturday.
In his interpellation, Lam expressed concern about the government’s sluggish efforts to raise the number of registered organ donations in Macau. Citing international experiences with cadaveric organ donations and statistics from neighbouring regions, the bureau underlined that worldwide there were only single-digit numbers of donors per million people each year, and that the organ donation rate in countries and regions with predominantly Chinese populations was generally low.
Cadaveric organ donation refers to the process of transplanting organs from a deceased donor to a living recipient. These organs are harvested shortly after the donor’s death, provided consent has been given.
The bureau further noted that the local Working Group on Organ Transplantations was established to actively promote organ donations through registration, outreach, and solicitation of donations. Since its inception in September 2017, the families of potential donors have been contacted and persuaded to go ahead with the donation in 10 cases only. However, no organ donations were carried out due to the specific conditions of the 10 cases and the wishes of the families involved.
According to the statement, a liaison mechanism has been set up between the public Conde de São Januário Hospital Centre and private local hospitals, through which members of the working group will proactively follow up on potential cases as needed and provide organ donation counselling to the families concerned.
In the statement, the bureau highlighted its commitment to enhancing the acceptance of organ donations among local residents through various awareness-raising activities and promotions by medical experts, such as by improving the organ donation registration feature on the “Macao One Account” and optimising the existing organ donation webpage.
Meanwhile, in response to Lam’s written question regarding the cost of dialysis treatment, the bureau noted that dialysis treatment is not a free medical service. However, it added, a medical assistance mechanism has been implemented for those who cannot afford the treatment due to financial constraints, with nearly 95 percent of the 990 dialysis patients in Macau recorded in 2023 having received free medical treatment or been exempted from dialysis fees.
Dialysis treatment is a medical procedure used to remove waste products and excess fluid from the blood when the kidneys are no longer able to perform these functions effectively.
This image displayed by the Health Bureau (SSM) on its organ donation website calls for members of the public to register as an organ donor.
