04/11/2025

TUESDAY | NOV 4, 2025

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M’sia facing transplant crisis

but it is the interpretation that varies. Most religious authorities in Malaysia do support organ donation. The challenge is whether the public has heard or understood those rulings. “The knowledge is there. But after someone feels inspired by a talk, if there is no registration booth available right away, the moment passes. That is why I believe MySejahtera is a huge step forward. Now it’s just about awareness leading to action.” Reflecting on her own experience, Chew said she has no regrets but cautioned that living organ donation carries lasting emotional, physical and financial consequences. – By Faiz Ruzman KUALA LUMPUR: Police have arrested and charged rapper Wee Meng Chee, better known as “Namewee”, for possessing and using drugs during a raid on a hotel in the federal capital last month. Kuala Lumpur police chief Datuk Fadil Marsus said when police raided a hotel room at 4.30pm on Oct 22, they found nine blue pills believed to be ecstasy weighing an estimated 5g. “The 42-year-old was then taken to the Dang Wangi Police Headquarters, where he tested positive for amphetamine, methamphetamine, ketamine and THC. “He was remanded for two days through a court order to assist in investigations before being charged on Oct 24 at the Kuala Lumpur Court under two separate provisions of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, namely Section 39A(1) for possession of drugs and Section 15(1)(a) for drug use.” Fadil said Namewee, however, pleaded not guilty and was granted bail of RM4,000, in one surety. He added that the case has been fixed for mention on Dec 18. – Bernama Sg Golok shooter surrenders to Thai police KOTA BHARU: The suspect in a fatal shooting of a Malaysian man at Sungai Golok in Narathiwat last week has surrendered to Thai police. The suspect is a former import player for the Kelantan football team, Kelantan police chief Datuk Mohd Yusoff Mamat said his department was informed unofficially about the 31-year-old suspect’s surrender to the Thai authorities. “So far, we have been informed unofficially that the suspect turned himself in to Thai police yesterday. “We are still waiting for an official report from the Thai authorities regarding his arrest.” Mohd Yusoff said the case would be handled by Thai authorities as the incident occurred in Thailand and the suspect is a Thai national. “Initial investigations revealed that the suspect had previously played as a goalkeeper for Kelantan FC in 2019, after representing the Kelantan President’s Cup squad in 2014.” – Bernama Rapper faces drug charges

o Delays stem from limited donors, compatibility and shortage of specialists, says group

Ű BY FAIZ RUZMAN newsdesk@thesundaily.com

PETALING JAYA: Thousands of Malaysians in need of organ transplants face waits that could last for more than two decades, a crisis fuelled by a severe shortage of donors, bureaucratic gaps and an under-resourced transplant system. The National Transplant Resource Centre (NTRC), in a written response to theSun , said between 2020 and 2024, Malaysia recorded just 249 cadaveric kidney transplants, 93 liver transplants and four heart transplants. The centre revealed the average waiting time for a kidney ranges from five to 23 years, for a liver from two months to two years and for a heart from 24 hours to 14 years, depending on the availability of a suitable match. NTRC said these delays stem mainly from the limited number of deceased donors, the complexity of donor–recipient matching and the shortage of transplant-trained specialists. “Malaysia does not refer patients overseas for transplant procedures. Those who seek treatment abroad do so through personal arrangements. “Public transplant services are currently provided at designated centres including Kuala Lumpur Hospital, Selayang Hospital and National Heart Institute.” However, experts warn that without urgent structural reform, many Malaysians would continue to die waiting. National Cancer Society of Malaysia (NCSM) managing director Assoc Prof Dr Murallitharan Munisamy said the shortage of donors remains the biggest choke point in the country’s transplant system. “With childhood cancer, about 70% to 80% survive now. But many of the older treatments were very toxic, and about 10% of long-term survivors face late organ failure 18

The NTRC revealed the average waiting time for a kidney ranges from five to 23 years, a liver from two months to two years and a heart from 24 hours to 14 years. – AI-GENERATED IMAGE BY AZURA ABAS

to 20 years later. “Malaysia has the specialists and facilities to treat almost all cancer cases locally. The issue in transplantation is not expertise. The issue is that there are simply not enough organs to be found,” he told theSun . He added that the scarcity of donors forces patients to seek transplants abroad. “For transplants, you need compatibility, and that means a large donor pool. We do not have that. “So when there is a match in India, you have to go to the organ. You cannot bring the organ here. It is that simple and that brutal.” He said the situation is even more dire for non-kidney transplants. “It is already bad for kidneys, and it is worse for other solid organs such as the liver. It is very difficult to find donors. “People are not offering their organs even when they pass away,

you pledge, your registration goes to NTRC. NTRC coordinates transplant doctors and organ procurement teams. So when people say the system is not centralised, I quite disagree. “My view is (that if you want) to understand the system better, speak directly to NTRC.” She added that while previous awareness campaigns under the Public Awareness Action Committee brought together experts and NGOs, many failed because they focused on publicity rather than dialogue. “What I disagree with is when organ donation awareness is done through things such as walkathons or general events. or even when they could. Take bone marrow, for example. It’s not like they remove all of it. A donor gives only a small amount. “It is a 10-minute to 20-minute procedure. It is a bit painful, but after that you go back to normal. There are no long-term side effects. “But for the recipient, especially those with haematological cancers such as lymphoma or leukaemia, that donation could literally mean the difference between life and death. And yet our donor rates are abysmal.” He also pointed to a systemic failure to coordinate hospital deaths with organ retrieval. “The problem is that they are under-resourced and they do not have the authority. Right now, there is no mechanism in which one agency under the Health Ministry truly takes charge. “When someone dies in hospital, there should be an activation process: call a central unit, confirm donor status, check compatibility

and mobilise retrieval teams. “This is how the transplant registry could be empowered. A doctor should be able to call and say, ‘I have this patient, who is a donor. There is a heart. There is a lung. We could extract.’ “Someone must have the authority to match that organ in real time to someone who needs it and make that process happen immediately.” Murallitharan said NCSM continues to run donor pledge drives and bone marrow registry campaigns to expand the donor pool, while supporting underprivileged cancer patients through medication-access programmes. On Oct 17, theSun highlighted the case of 16-year-old Meera Bernadette, whose family was advised to seek a liver transplant in India.

The story sparked a successful crowdfunding effort that raised RM300,000 for her treatment. Honest dialogue key to boosting low organ donation rate: Activist

PETALING JAYA: Social activist and living liver donor Chew Hoong Ling said Malaysia’s persistently low rate of organ donation would not improve through posters and walkathons, only through honest, sustained conversations that confront fear, faith and cultural taboos.

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“Those activities do not actually explain organ donation. “There are questions, doubts, taboos and religious concerns. You need conversation, not just an event.” She urged the Health Ministry to introduce a standard outreach kit and Train-the-Trainer programme to equip community leaders and NGOs with accurate information. “Blood donation is easy to promote because it is familiar. Organ donation is different. You need to be prepared to explain, to listen and to answer. It requires continuity.” She also said hesitation often stems from misinformation rather than religious prohibition. “Religion actually plays a real role

campaigns”.

“Organ donation is like asking someone to convert their belief system. It requires time, trust and the ability to answer questions people are genuinely afraid to ask,” she told theSun . Chew, who has been promoting organ donation

Chew, who made national headlines in 2009 after donating 60% of her liver to a 13-year-old girl suffering from liver cancer, said the recipient had been a complete stranger to her at the time. She said organ donation “is not something you could persuade with

since the 1990s, recalled when registration required mailing forms and waiting for donor cards to arrive. She said today, pledging is far easier through MySejahtera, with records managed by the National Transplant Resource Centre (NTRC). “Under the Health Ministry, when