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SINGAPORE: Singapore is studying how to reimburse those who donate their organs to non-related patients.
Details will be announced early next year when the Human Organ Transplant Act (HOTA) is amended.
Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan revealed this after re-opening the Woodlands Polyclinic.
The issue of organ trading was thrown into the spotlight after the recent case of Singapore retail magnate Tang Wee Sung paying an Indonesian man for his kidney illegally.
Now, the government aims to create a proper legal framework for live organ donations and it is looking closely at the US system as a reference.
Mr Khaw said: "We should seriously look into the legislation to see how we can better regulate such activities with the view to cut out this exploitation and the unscrupulous middleman and we can do it in a way which is totally within ethical framework, of either WHO or even the Istanbul declaration.
"The ethical debate has always been against commercialisation - which I think many people can accept - against buyer, seller, against direct transaction between potential buyer and potential seller, against dangling, say, half a million dollars in front of you (and say) "sell me a part of your body". I think that's vulgar and offensive to many people.
"But the ethical ethicists have no problem reimbursing a donor, provided two things are fulfilled."
These are: making sure the donor is fully informed of consequences and risks; and the donor should get suitable reimbursement for life to protect the person's welfare.
Mr Khaw said the National Kidney Foundation could be one non-government organisation which can contribute to the reimbursement amounts.
"They're studying this in great detail to see how they can raise additional funds to support all these donors and we're also at the same time, working together with them to see which aspects of the law may be preventing them from doing so," he said.
Mr Khaw added that on the government's part, it can look into offering tax breaks for the live donors or subsidise the donor's medical screenings when undergoing a tissue match for a recipient.
Mr Khaw, who was in Manila last week from September 21-25 to attend a World Health Organisation meeting, met with kidney donors from the village of Baseco, where people sold kidneys for monetary gain.
Mr Khaw said: "We cannot leave this problem just in the black market and I'm confident now that within the globally acceptable ethical framework, we can bring about a greater improvement to the current situation. But the best solution to all this is still prevention."
The government has not decided on the actual amount for reimbursements.
Mr Khaw said donors in neighbouring countries receive only about S$4,000 for their organs.
He said that that's short-changing the donors.
For Singapore, Mr Khaw expects the reimbursement for each donor to go into tens of thousands of Singapore dollars.
The Health Ministry, he said, will study factors like the donor's age as well as additional medical expenses in computing the reimbursement amounts.
- CNA/ir
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