Over 600 people in Singapore have sought kidney transplants overseas
By Hasnita A Majid, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 28 June 2008 2357 hrs

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SINGAPORE : Since 1986, more than 600 people in Singapore have gone oversees to seek kidney transplants.

Figures from the Ministry of Health (MOH) showed that between 1986 and 2004, 295 people sought replacement kidneys in China, while another 306 went to India.

In 2005, only 25 people went to China for kidney transplants. Last year, 17 patients headed there, and this year, 14 people have undergone kidney transplants in China as at the end of April.

Fewer have been going to India in recent years. In 2005, only one went for a kidney transplant there, followed by five in 2006 and three last year.

The MOH said there are currently 536 on the waiting list for kidney transplants.

A kidney transplant gives a patient a better chance of survival. Almost 90 per cent of transplant patients survive beyond five years. - CNA /ls