The Government will hold a ceremony this Saturday (October 15) to launch a territory-wide organ donation promotion campaign which will run until December. The MTR Corporation Limited will be the supporting organisation of this campaign.

     The campaign will feature organ donation promotion booths set up at 15 MTR stations and a promotional bus parade to take place that day. There will also be other district-level activities organised by signatories of the Organ Donation Promotion Charter, promotion booths at different MTR stations in October and December, and a promotion vehicle visiting all 18 districts across the territory in November. Members of the public are welcome to join.

     The Secretary for Food and Health, Dr Ko Wing-man, and the Chairman of the MTR Corporation, Professor Frederick Ma, will officiate at the ceremony in MTR Hong Kong Station this Saturday. Other attending guests will include members of the Committee on Promotion of Organ Donation and representatives of the Organ Donation Promotion Charter signatories and non-government organisations (NGOs) supporting the campaign.

     The Controller of the Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health (DH), Dr Leung Ting-hung, today (October 13) said in a joint press conference with the Hospital Authority (HA), "According to our survey last year, 53 out of 100 people in Hong Kong are willing to donate organs after death. As of September this year, only three in every 100 Hong Kong adults have registered at the Centralised Organ Donation Register (CODR), implying that a lot of people who support organ donation are yet to register.

     "Locally, consent from family members of the deceased is needed before organ transplantation. The survey revealed that more than 90 per cent of citizens, upon learning of their family members' wish to donate organs, are willing to honour such a wish. Yet, for every 10 people who are willing to donate organs after death, only six have expressed their wish to their family. It is therefore very important to inform your family of your wish.

     "Over 2 000 patients are waiting for organ transplantation in Hong Kong every day. A decision to donate organs can save seven lives. We should encourage our family and friends to support organ donation to help others."

     In just five months since the establishment of the Committee on Promotion of Organ Donation, the number of CODR registrations has exceeded 24 500, which is more than the annual registration number in 2013 and 2014 and also accounts for over 80 per cent of the annual total in 2015.

     Dr Leung urged the public to remember the Organ Donation 3S's, which are, "Sign up at CODR", "Speak out your wish to family", and "Spread out to family and friends and get their support".

     To further efforts in promotion, the Food and Health Bureau, the DH and the HA are in collaboration with the MTR Corporation on organ donation promotional activities from October to December. Promotional booths will be set up in 15 MTR stations across the territory. Of note, 15 signatories to the Organ Donation Promotion Charter and NGOs providing volunteers will help manning the booths. Healthcare professionals will also be on site for enquiries on organ donation and transplantation. Members of the public are encouraged to register their wish at the CODR by completing the Organ Donation Form or online via www.codr.gov.hk at the booths.

     Following the ceremony there will be a bus parade. The bus will travel to various locations across the territory to promote organ donation.

     In addition, the DH will arrange an organ donation promotion vehicle to visit 30 locations in all 18 districts in November. Games and photo-taking services will be available. Members of the public are encouraged to register at the CODR on board.

     Also speaking at the press conference, the Director (Cluster Services) of the HA, Dr Cheung Wai-lun said, "The HA is the main local healthcare organisation which provides organ transplant services. From January 2014 to September 2016, 470 organ transplants were performed, including 352 deceased donations and 118 living donations. Among cases in which organs of the deceased were suitable for donation, only 40 to 50 per cent of the families gave consent due to conventional beliefs or lacking of clear indication of the deceased's wish. The HA will join the bus parade on October 15 to encourage the public to register as organ donors and communicate their wish to their families as soon as possible."

     An organ recipient also shared experiences at the press conference.

     For more information on organ donation and the territory-wide campaign, the public may visit the DH's thematic website (www.organdonation.gov.hk). Members of the public are invited to "like" and "share" the DH's Organ Donation@HK Facebook page (www.fb.com/organdonationhkeng), and to follow the latest information.

Ends/Thursday, October 13, 2016
Issued at HKT 17:35

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