Why Singapore’s organ donation law still can’t beat the shortage
Singapore’s mandatory organ donation law was designed to save lives, but despite automatic inclusion of citizens as donors under the Human Organ Transplant Act (HOTA), more than 400 patients remain on transplant waiting lists, some for up to 17 years.
Under HOTA, all adult Singaporeans and permanent residents are presumed willing to donate their kidneys, livers, hearts and corneas after death unless they formally opt out. Yet, in practice, hospitals frequently halt donations when families object, even though consent is not legally required.
Figures from the Ministry of Health show only modest improvements over the past decade. Kidney donations from deceased donors rose slightly from 6.3 per million people in 2013 to 6.59 in 2023. Liver and heart donations show similar slow growth, far below demand, The Straits Times reports.
To supplement transplants, Singapore also allows whole-body and brain donations for medical education and research under the Medical (Therapy, Education and Research) Act (MTERA). In such cases, bodies are collected within six hours and sent to medical schools, including the National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University. Families may still hold wakes of up to three days before collection.
Medical institutions may retain bodies for up to three years before cremation. Families are then invited to collect ashes, or they are buried at sea if unclaimed.
Disclaimer: The image used in this article is AI-generated.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
