KUALA TERENGGANU: A total of 102 individuals donated their organs between January and August this year, says Datuk Dr Azman Yacob.
The Health Ministry’s deputy director-general of health (medical) said the figure marked an increase from the 89 deceased organ donors recorded last year, equivalent to roughly 1.3 donors per million population.
Although public awareness of the importance of organ donation had taken root, he said it was still far from satisfactory, with 12,575 patients on the organ waiting list as of July.
“Compared to international statistics, countries such as the United Arab Emirates, Spain and others have higher organ acceptance rates, reaching between 20% and 30% per million population,” he told reporters after officiating the launch of National Organ Donation Awareness Week (MKPO) 2026 yesterday, Bernama reported.
Speaking on this year’s theme, “Warisku, Hormati Ikrarku” (My Heirs, Honour My Pledge), he said MKPO carries the message that a person’s wish to donate organs after death is a humanitarian pledge that deserves to be honoured and affirmed through their family’s support.
Although about 450,000 individuals are registered as organ donors, the number of actual donations remains low as families have the final say on whether donation proceeds upon death.
“When a donor falls ill due to an accident, becomes brain dead or for other causes, they can no longer make the decisions.
“So awareness among family members is crucial in honouring the donor’s wishes,” he said.
Dr Azman said the ministry would continue to work on increasing the number of organ donors through various measures.
This includes establishing a National Transplant Council to better coordinate the nation’s organ donation and transplantation agenda.
