Living donor organ transplants

Kidney or liver failure patients should consult their doctors on their suitability for living donor organ transplants.

Patients should consult their doctors on their medical conditions for assessment of suitability living donor organ transplants.

Do contact the following transplant centres in Singapore for more information:

• National University Centre for Organ Transplantation (NUCOT) at 67722930 / 67724864 or visit the website;

• SingHealth Duke-NUS Transplant Centre, at 63265194 or visit the website; or

• Parkway Hospitals, at 64703386 or visit the website

A potential donor and recipient pair seeks initial consultation at the transplant centre.

Donation suitability

In living organ donation, transplant physicians first evaluate the medical suitability of the potential donor through stringent physical examination and medical tests, which includes assessments by an independent physician (not in the care of potential donor and/or recipient), medical social worker and psychiatrist.

The person has to be free from chronic disease and undergo a series of tests to ensure that the person is in good state of health and that the donation would not compromise his/her wellbeing.

Stringent medical tests are also performed for the potential recipient to ensure success of the transplant procedure.

Potential donor and recipient pair undergoes further medical assessments and consultations by a multidisciplinary transplant team.

Risks of living donor organ transplants

As with any surgical procedures, there are differing risks involved in living donors undergoing surgery for organ donation and also according to the organ donated (i.e. liver donation carries a higher risk of death and complications than kidney donation). Some of the potential risks may include bleeding, infections, allergic reactions, organ rejection and death.

All living donors are encouraged to seek full information about the process, possible outcomes, risks and post-donation care before giving informed consent to proceed with the donation. Living donors are required to go for annual medical follow-up post-donation and are able to live a normal life after donation.

Authorisation from the Transplant Ethics Committee (TEC) is required before any living donor organ transplant can proceed in Singapore.

Regulation of living donor organ transplants

TEC is a committee of 3 members, consisting of a doctor associated with the hospital, an independent doctor and a lay person, whose responsibility is to evaluate applications for authorisation of living donor organ transplants.

The TEC provides independent scrutiny to assess that the donor is fully informed about the medical risks, the present and future implications of the organ donation. The TEC also assesses if there are ethical concerns and that the donor has given informed consent without fraud, duress or undue influence. After approval from the TEC is obtained, there will be a seven-day cooling off period for the donor to carefully consider and confirm his or her decision.

In Singapore, the Human Organ Transplant Act (HOTA) prohibits the selling or buying of organs. Any person who is involved in the buying and selling of organs shall be liable to a maximum fine of $100,000 to a maximum imprisonment term of 10 years or both.