Ask Hongkongers about organ donation when they apply for ID, group argues, after poll finds 43pc would offer upon their death
But the same survey found public opinion divided on whether the city should adopt an ‘opt-out’ system
Hongkongers should be asked whether they wish to donate their organs when applying for their adult or permanent residency ID cards, a local think-tank suggested, after it found that over two-fifths of respondents in its survey said they were willing to make such a contribution upon their death.
Of 1,500 Hongkongers over the age of 15 polled by the Hong Kong Ideas Centre in October, 43 per cent of the respondents were willing to donate their organs; 18 per cent said they were unwilling, while the remaining 39 per cent were undecided.
The centre conducted the survey following the tragic case of 19-year-old woman Jamella Lo who died in October while waiting for a double-lung transplant.
READ MORE: Biggest obstacles to gaining organ donors are misconceptions, Hong Kong health department finds
It also looked into whether Hong Kong should adopt a so-called ‘opt-out’ system for organ donation in the city by which individuals would be automatically entered into a donation scheme unless they affirmatively expressed that they did not want to be included.
In response to a separate question, another 43 per cent of the 1,500 respondents supported introducing an opt-out system, but 34 per cent were against it. The remaining 23 per cent were undecided.