KIDNEY DONATIONS AND TRANSPLANTS (Particulars)

[Mr Speaker in the Chair]

Dr Dixie Tan asked the Minister for Health, for the years 1981 to 1985, (a) how many deaths occurred due to accidents; (b) how many potential organ donors there were among the accident victims; and (c) how many kidney transplant operations were done.

The Minister of State for Health (Mr Yeo Cheow Tong) (for the Minister for Health): Mr Speaker, Sir, I will reply on behalf of my Minister.

Between 1981 and 1984, there were a total of 4,084 deaths due to accidents. Figures for 1985 are not yet available.

Of the accident victims each year, it is estimated that approximately 45 would have been suitable as organ donors. As each donor can provide two kidneys, the 45 potential donors would be able to provide kidneys for 90 patients with end-stage kidney disease.

Between 1981 and 1985, a total of 133 kidney transplant operations were carried out. Of these, 77 patients were transplanted with kidneys donated by the immediate family, and 56 transplant operations were with cadaveric kidneys. Twenty six of these cadaveric kidneys were from the USA and Canada and the remaining 30 were from Singapore.

Only one cadaveric kidney transplant was carried out for the whole of 1985.

Dr Dixie Tan (Ulu Pandan): Mr Speaker, Sir, would the Minister of State tell us whether the recent publicity and efforts by the National Kidney Foundation to encourage people to support opting-out legislation for donor organ transplantation have been successful, and whether he feels that more cadaveric organ transplantations should be done in Singapore?

Mr Yeo Cheow Tong: The National Kidney Foundation started its publicity campaign on the proposed opting-out legislation in the middle of April. During the two weeks of April, the National Kidney Foundation received a total of around 8,000 petitions supporting the proposed legislation. It is continuing to receive petitions at the rate of about 500 a day. The National Kidney Foundation has also embarked on a programme to visit the community centres in order to publicize the proposed legislation and to explain the circumstances under which kidney transplants will be done. The response to these visits so far has also been very promising and the Foundation has been receiving an overwhelming support from the participants of such functions.