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SINGAPORE: The Islamic Religious Council of Singapore, MUIS, is proposing that all Muslims be included under the Human Organ Transplant Act (HOTA).
Its fatwa or religious ruling committee has come up with a position that it is permissible for Muslims to come under the Act.
This would mean that Muslims who do not want to have their organs harvested after death, will have to opt out of the scheme.
Muslim patients with end-stage renal failure face two options – they can either spend hours at a dialysis centre or they can opt for a kidney transplant.
But the wait for a kidney can take at least ten years because HOTA currently does not automatically include Muslims due to religious grounds, although they can still opt in if they wish to donate their organs.
It is not clear when MUIS' proposal to include Muslims under HOTA will officially be turned into law as this will depend on the Health Ministry, but the council said it is making the suggestion as the number of Muslim organ pledges has dropped drastically in recent years.
The number of Muslim organ pledges fell from 924 in 2004 to just 87 last year.
And this year alone, only 89 Muslims have come forward to express their wish to be included in the organ donation scheme.
There are 120 Muslims on the organ transplant waiting list and most of them are pining for a new kidney.
Some of them come under the Muslim Kidney Action Committee, which takes care of 300 kidney patients.
Ameerali Abdeali, Chairman of the Muslim Kidney Action Committee, said: "In the course of two or three years of looking after them, our records show that 30 of them have already succumbed to the disease."
MUIS said that is why there is an urgency to change the religious ruling now as it believes the community is generally settled on this issue, although there are still concerns regarding delays in burial, due to organ harvesting.
Fakris Bakaram, Deputy Mufti of Singapore and Associate Member of the Fatwa Committee, said: "We have to realise that there should be exceptions to the original opinions and rulings. For example, because of the needs to do transplant and surgery, we cannot run away from the fact that a delay must happen. And this is a legitimate reason, accepted by the Muslim jurists and scholars."
For those in renal care, the move will buy kidney patients a few more years of life.
Ameerali Abdeali said: "With the new fatwa and when Muslims are included in the Human Organ Transplant Act, the waiting period would be substantially reduced. Muslims need not have to wait so long and they would not be at the back of the queue. They will be in the same queue as any other Singaporeans."
The Health Ministry has welcomed the new proposal and said it would study it in detail with MUIS and consult the Muslim community on this issue.
- CNA/so
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