KUALA LUMPUR: Over 10,000 Malaysians are still waiting for organ transplants as challenges in the national organ donation and transplant system are still desperately unresolved, says Suhaizan Kayat.
The Health Parliament Special Select Committee chairman said there have only been 3,657 successful organ transplants since the service was first offered in 1975, highlighting an imbalance between national organ demand and supply.
He added that there were still 10,170 patients waiting for an organ donation, according to the Derma Organ portal as of June 30 this year.
“This large gap between patient needs and organ availability shows the need for strengthening our organ donation and transplant system,” he told the Dewan Rakyat while presenting his committee’s report on the reform of the national organ donation and transplant system on Monday (July 6).
Suhaizan said the lack of organ donations was only expected to worsen as the the more than 55,000 Malaysians dependent on dialysis is expected to increase to 104,000 by 2040.
“In total, we spend nearly RM2bil annually on dialysis treatment already, so if left unaddressed, this will not only affect families personally but also increases pressure on our national healthcare delivery system,” he said.
Based on a study by his committee, Suhaizan said the issues of the national organ donation and transplant system was not solely due to a lack of medical expertise.
Instead, he said this involves the entire ecosystem, including governance, implementation coordination, expertise development, financing, infrastructure, and public awareness of the importance of organ donation.
“This is reflected in the over 1,100 recorded potential organ donation opportunities that could not be realised due to the absence of family consent.
“This alone indicates the need to further enhance public understanding of organ donation and build greater confidence in the national donation and transplant system,” he said.
He added that national organ transplant services also need stronger coordination among various institutions and agencies involved to ensure the system functions in a more integrated and effective manner.
To this, Suhaizan suggested that the National Transplant Resource Centre (NTRC) become the main coordinator for policies, clinical standards, training, and data management.
He said this would allow the NTRC to better track and monitor the organ distribution systems in Malaysia, ensuring transparency.
“The Health Ministry should also review current organ recipient prioritisation mechanisms to ensure waiting lists are managed objectively, fairly, and based on clinical data for long-term treatment effectiveness,” he added.
Ahmad Tarmizi Sulaiman (PN-Sik) said the issue was the lack of a national strategic agenda for organ transplant in Malaysia.
He said Malaysia should consider learning lessons from Spain's National Transplant Organization (ONT), which has had the highest deceased donor rate in the world for over three decades.
“They didn't achieve this by having the most hospitals in the world but through ONT’s professional, organised and transparent management of organ donations nationally,” he said.
