SMA against legalising human organ trade
By Valarie Tan, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 13 July 2008 1852 hrs

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SINGAPORE: Doctors in Singapore are split over whether human organ trading should be legalised in the country.

A medical ethics debate over the issue has been re-ignited in recent weeks after five persons were prosecuted over illegal kidney-for-sale deals.

For the Singapore Medical Association (SMA), after much internal discussion, it has come to a collective stand that it does not support legalised organ trading.

In response to queries by Channel NewsAsia, the SMA said that besides the medical risks to the organ seller, there is too much potential for abuse of disadvantaged individuals. It is also difficult to make the process transparent and equitable.

The SMA represents two-thirds of doctors and specialists from the private and public hospitals in Singapore. It said emails and discussions were exchanged over the past two weeks, and its 16-member council held an emergency meeting on Saturday to deliberate.

Dr Tan Sze Wee, a spokesperson for the SMA, said: "Within the council itself, we had a debate and the views were split down the middle as well, between those who felt that there could be a possibility of legalising it because of the good it can bring to the recipients - the quality of life, saving a life.

"However, the other point that we still felt was very important is - how are you able to administer it? The devil is in the details."

But with the number of kidney patients growing in Singapore, the SMA said the call to legalise organ trade may grow stronger in the future.

Dr Tan said: "It may, but the voice for legalising organ trade is not something that's a current topic. It has been around since the beginning of time. But we recognise the fact that the human body itself cannot be treated like a commercial property that it can be traded with a value.

"There are medical complications, short-term and long-term. The short-term risks are... the operation itself, anaesthesia for both the recipient and the donor in the surgery.

"Long-term risks are: if you have two kidneys and you donated one... what do you do when something happens to you? Some accident or some illness, then you've got no back-up plan. And, it's well documented that organ donors do suffer from, what we call, donor remorse."

The SMA was not able to comment on the implications on the growing number of patients getting transplants from non-related donors in Singapore. In 2007, 33 patients received kidneys from non-related living donors compared to 19 in 2006 and six in 2005.

However, the SMA does support the suggestion to have transplant patients screened at the Health Ministry level, instead of just leaving it to a hospital ethics committee.

Dr Tan said: "I think that's definitely better. I think that is something for the ministry to work out to ensure that such cases do not repeat again.

"There are so many things that can possibly happen that even if you want to think about ways to put safeguards in to prevent illegal activities from happening, there are a lot of details that have to be worked out."

Local retail magnate and kidney patient Tang Wee Sung is the first Singaporean charged with trying to buy a kidney.

Tang is expected in court again on July 21, together with two other men who are alleged to have brokered the kidney sale. If convicted, Tang could be fined S$10,000 and jailed up to three years.

Two Indonesians who agreed to sell their kidneys have already been jailed by the courts.

- CNA/ir