Gift of life: Hong Kong organ donor register hits new high with more than 360,000 people signed up
- Acting Secretary for Health Libby Lee says more than 2,000 people on organ donation waiting list and appeals for more people to join register
- Lee says donor numbers have jumped since May, when suspected abuse of the system saw a big increase in withdrawals from register
Hong Kong has logged a record high of more than 360,000 registered organ donors as public awareness has improved, the acting secretary for health has said as the city marked Organ Donation Day.
Libby Lee Ha-yun said on Saturday that there were more than 2,000 people on the waiting list for organ donations and appealed for more people to register to potentially give the gift of life.
“The number of registered organ donors has reached a new high and it has increased a lot compared to May,” she said at a ceremony to celebrate Organ Donation Day.
“I believe that the awareness of the entire Hong Kong society about organ donation and transplant has improved.”
Hong Kong in 2016 declared the second Saturday in November every year as Organ Donation Day in a bid to increase knowledge and support for life-saving donations.
Chok Lai-kwan, 61, said her husband, who was in his 60s, died of a brain haemorrhage last year and his liver was transplanted into a patient in need.