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SINGAPORE: The issue of skin donations is not as well known as organs donations like livers and kidneys.
But a concerned MP for Tanjong Pagar GRC, Sam Tan, said this is equally a matter of life and death, and he called for more skin donors to come forward.
Speaking during the Parliamentary debate on the Health Ministry's budget estimates on Monday, Mr Tan said up to 20 people die a year because there is not enough skin to save them.
In fact, he pointed out that the average two to four skin donors in Singapore a year is way below that for other developed countries.
One reason may be unfamiliarity with the topic, thinking their loved ones will be stripped of all their skin upon death.
But Mr Tan explained that doctors merely shave about 0.25 mm to 0.4 mm of skin on flat surfaces like the thighs and back. Another layer of skin is still left behind.
The MP highlighted that such skin donations were useful in treating burn victims of terror attacks, as Singapore has the only comprehensive burns unit in the region. It was also helpful when treating Singapore soldiers who were hurt in an accident in Taiwan last year.
Mr Tan, who has pledged to donate his skin, quipped: "I will take this as a final spa treatment before embarking on the next journey."
Responding was the Minister of State for Health, Heng Chee How, who clarified that Singapore does not have 20 deaths a year due to insufficient skin, as Mr Tan had thought.
Rather, there is an average of eight deaths per year from severe burn injuries over the last five years - and of these, most died because of the severity of their injuries and not because of insufficient skin grafts.
However, Mr Heng also acknowledged the importance of skin donations even though they may not be covered under the Human Organ Transplant Act or HOTA. And like Mr Tan, he encouraged more people to step forward to pledge to donate their skin.
From 1998 to 2007, the National Skin Bank received over 100,000 square centimetres of skin grafts from 50 donors after their death.
Mr Heng said this benefited more than 100 Singaporean patients. - CNA/vm
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