Time running out for critically ill Hong Kong liver patient with authorities considering asking mainland China for help on donor

Hong Kong’s Hospital Authority is considering seeking help from mainland China in a rare move to find an organ donor for a critically ill 37-year-old local man suffering from severe liver failure.

Choy Shing-fai is in a critical condition in Queen Mary Hospital in Pok Fu Lam and on the verge of entering hepatic coma, which occurs when severe liver disease triggers a decrease in brain functions.

The authority said it was searching for a suitable donor locally and was also prepared to seek help from the mainland.

“When a patient on the mainland who is willing to donate organs passes away and there is no suitable recipient locally, arrangements can be made to donate the organs across the border to Hong Kong for matching and transplant, bringing hope for a new lease of life to critically ill patients,” a spokesman said.

He said the authority would submit an application to the relevant regulatory body, ensure all procedures complied with requirements and arrange transplant surgery as soon as possible.

The authority said a transplant was the only hope for critically ill patients with organ failure. It appealed to the public to actively support donations and consider signing up their deceased loved ones as donors.

Choy, who is unmarried and whose mother is his only kin, was first diagnosed with jaundice in 2019. His condition later worsened and resulted in organ failure. His kidneys are also severely impaired.