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What organs can be donated
Learn about the various organs and tissues available for donation.
Last updated 21 March 2025
The human body consists of many organs and tissues. While limited damage to organs or tissues may be tolerated by the body, it can be life-threatening when vital organs such as the heart, kidney or liver fail.
For patients with end stage organ failure, organ transplant is usually the only treatment option. A living donor can donate either a single kidney or a part of the liver to help patients with end stage kidney / liver failure whereas a deceased donor can donate more organs, tissues and even the whole body for transplant, therapy and/or research and education.
Click on the categories below to learn more about the different organs and tissues that can be donated.
Liver
Liver failure can result in serious conditions such as jaundice, internal bleeding, muscle wasting and a build-up of toxins in the body. In the early stages, patients may start to feel nauseous and fatigue and as the disease progresses, they may become confused and disoriented. While some patients can be maintained on medications for a period of time, liver transplant is usually the only curative option for patients with end stage liver failure.
Patients with end stage liver failure can either undergo a living donor liver transplant if they have a suitable healthy donor or be placed on the national wait list for a deceased donor liver transplant.
If you wish to know more about liver transplant, you may contact the following or visit their websites:
National University Centre for Organ Transplant (NUCOT) at 67722930[resource:65:40910]67724864 or visit the website; or
SingHealth Duke-NUS Transplant Centre, at 63265194 or visit the website; or
If you wish to donate to someone on the national waiting list, you may contact National Organ Transplant Unit (NOTU) for more information: Contact Us
A True Story: Read Athinarayanan's story on how he survived liver failure with the help of a liver transplant.
Did you know? The living donor’s liver grows back to the full size after the donation.
Kidney
Kidneys are important in filtering waste from the blood and maintaining water and electrolyte balance in the body. When kidneys cannot function properly, the patient may start to feel weak and bloated. Left untreated, toxins in the body build up to dangerous levels.
Kidney transplantation remains the best form of treatment for patients suffering from end-stage kidney failure. Unless a kidney donor is found, patients may have to undergo dialysis several times a week for the rest of their lives.
Kidney transplant recipients stand a better chance of survival and experience better mobility and fitness, and subsequently being able to return to work.
With advances in medical care, the ten-year graft survival rates for the transplants have been steadily increasing. On average, a transplanted kidney from a living donor lasts for 19.6 years. A transplanted kidney from a deceased donor typically lasts for 16.7 years.1
If you wish to know more about living donor kidney transplant, you may contact the following or visit their websites:
National University Centre for Organ Transplant (NUCOT) at 67722930[resource:65:40910]67724864 or visit the website; or
SingHealth Duke-NUS Transplant Centre, at 63265194 or visit the website; or
If you wish to donate to someone on the national waiting list, you may contact National Organ Transplant Unit (NOTU) for more information: Contact Us
A True Story: Read Rosyati’s story on how she gained a new lease of life through a kidney transplant and is now able to spend more time with her family.
Did you know? In 2017, an average of 5 patients are diagnosed with chronic kidney failure daily. *Statistics obtained from NRDO – Singapore Renal Registry Annual Report 2018.
Heart
Heart failure happens when the heart is unable to pump blood efficiently to the rest of the body, resulting in organs and tissues not receiving sufficient oxygen and nutrients to carry out their functions. Symptoms of heart failure include shortness of breath, persistent cough, fatigue and nausea.
When other treatments for heart problems are unsuccessful, heart transplants are performed by replacing a diseased heart with a healthy donor heart. While waiting for a heart transplant, patients are dependent on a mechanical battery-operated ‘heart’ known as a Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD) that weighs close to two kilograms.
A heart transplant will save the life of a patient who would otherwise succumb to their illness. The quality of life improves dramatically after a heart transplant and patients are able to resume their normal life, including returning to work and starting a family.
The National Heart Centre Singapore (NHCS) performs all deceased donor heart transplants in Singapore and provides post-transplant care and follow-up treatment for heart transplant recipients.
For more information, please contact NHCS at 67048130 or visit their website.
A True Story: Read Serene’s story on how she no longer relies on a battery for survival with the precious gift of a heart transplant.
Cornea
A corneal transplant is a surgical procedure that involves replacing the cloudy or scarred cornea with a donor cornea to restore vision.
During corneal donation, only the cornea (which is about the size and shape of a contact lens) is removed. This will not result in noticeable changes to the face and an open-casket funeral would still be possible.
The Singapore Eye Bank (SEB) manages the recovery, preparation, preservation and supply of deceased donor cornea tissues for transplantation in both restructured and private hospitals in Singapore.
For more information, please contact the Singapore Eye Bank at 63228340 or visit their website.
A True Story: Read Gerard's story on how he regained his vision with a corneal transplant.
Did you know? The 4 organs covered under the Human Organ Transplant Act are the heart, liver, kidneys and cornea.
Lung
End stage lung disease is when the lungs can no longer obtain sufficient oxygen for the body. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) or pulmonary hypertension are some of the causes of end stage lung disease requiring lung transplantation.
Depending on the individual’s medical condition, a lung transplant may involve replacing one or both lungs. Usually used as the last resort treatment for lung failure, a lung transplant substantially improves a patient's quality of life.
The National Heart Centre Singapore (NHCS) performs all deceased donor lung transplants in Singapore and provides post-transplant care and follow-up treatment for lung transplant recipients.
For more information, please contact National Heart Centre Singapore (NHCS) at 67048130 or visit their website.
Pancreas
The pancreas is an organ lying between the stomach and intestine and is responsible for the production of insulin and other hormones.
A pancreas transplant is one of the treatments for patients with complications from Type 1 Diabetes. In Type 1 Diabetes, the pancreas does not produce enough insulin. Without enough insulin, the patient’s blood sugar levels become very high, and regular insulin injections several times a day are needed to control blood sugar levels. Due to the delicate balance between insulin injections and blood sugar levels, the patient may also have low blood sugar levels at times. If blood sugar levels either rises or falls to extreme levels, the patient will go into a coma, requiring urgent hospitalisation.
In Type 2 Diabetes, although the pancreas produces insulin, the body is resistant to the insulin signals. However, some Type 2 Diabetes patients also have low insulin levels and low insulin resistance and these patients may also be eligible for pancreas transplants. Pancreas transplantation can thus help to render diabetic patients free from requiring insulin injections, to improve quality of life and to reduce long-term diabetic complications. It has been shown to increase survival rates in patients with diabetes and kidney failure.
It is most commonly done at the same time as a kidney transplant for patients with kidney failure due to diabetes, called a Simultaneous Pancreas Kidney Transplant.
For more information, please contact the following:
Skin
Skin transplant is the best treatment for patients with severe burns who do not have enough healthy skin on their body to graft onto their wounds. The donated skin helps relieve pain and discomfort, lowering the risk of infection and minimises fluid loss. Without skin transplant, burn patients can suffer from severe infection, leading to death.
The SGH Skin Bank was set up in 1998 for the recovery, preservation and distribution of donated human skin. Its main objective is to provide a ready source of human skin allografts for the treatment of severe burns.
For more information, please contact the Skin Bank Unit at 63214974 or visit their website.
Did you know? A person can only donate skin after death. The thickness of the skin donated is less than half a millimetre, typically only recovered from the donor’s back and legs.
Heart Valves, Iliac Vessels and Trachea
Heart valves are transplanted to replace diseased heart valves. With a diseased heart valve, the heart is not able to pump blood through the body normally. Patients who require the surgery include those who are born with heart valve defects or those with infected heart valves.
The iliac vessel serves as an intervening graft to connect a transplanted organ to the recipient, such as in a living-donor liver transplantation.
The trachea, commonly known as the ‘windpipe’, leads air into the lungs. Trachea transplantation can help patients who suffer from hardening and narrowing of their windpipe.
The National Heart Centre Singapore (NHCS) established Singapore's first National Cardiovascular Homograft Bank (NCHB) in 2008 to create a readily available supply of preserved cardiovascular homograft, trachea and vascular tissues for transplants.
For more information, please contact National Cardiovascular Homograft Bank at 67048150 or visit their website.
Whole body
Whole body donors, also known as Silent Mentors, provide medical students and doctors the opportunity to study anatomy of the human body and to trial new life-saving medical and surgical procedures and techniques. Just like all organ donors, Silent Mentors are treated with compassion, care, respect and dignity.
The study/research may take up to three years. Upon completion, the medical institution will inform the family and make arrangements for the Silent Mentor’s cremation. The family may collect the Silent Mentor’s ashes or the institution can arrange for a sea burial.
For more information on the whole body donation programme, please contact the National University of Singapore, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine Department of Anatomy at 65163200 / 65167689 / 65167347 or visit their website.
Did you know? The Medical (Therapy, Education and Research) Act allows an individual to donate any organ and/or tissue and even the whole body!