Drive to woo rural organ donors

BY AUDREY EDWARDS

KUALA LUMPUR: Organ donation awareness campaigns will be extended to rural areas for the first time to promote understanding on the issue and to get more pledges.  

Organ Donation Public Awareness Sub-Committee chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye said focus on rural folk would be included in the committee’s activities for next year as it provided great potential for upping the number of donors. 

“We think the rural area is an important place because many rural folk are not aware of this noble contribution,” he said after chairing a meeting with the sub-committee yesterday. 

He said the number of people who pledged their organs had declined from 13,590 last year to 11,398 this year.  

The sub-committee, he said, would target 20,000 organ pledges for next year.  

Lee said some people regarded organ donation as a sensitive issue, adding that traditional beliefs also hampered efforts to get people to pledge organs. 

Lee added that the committee planned to get co-operation from religious organisations such as Jakim to “spread the message” in Friday sermons. 

Other activities include working with Pos Malaysia to distribute organ donor cards, website registration for organ pledges and continuing awareness campaigns in universities.