Taiwan organ donor numbers hit new high

2016/01/11

Taiwan saw a record 264 organ and 43 cadaveric skin donation cases last year, indicating a rise in public acceptance of the practice and its key role in providing the gift of life.

The latest statistics from Taiwan Organ Registry and Sharing Center revealed that more than 7,100 donors registered in 2015, up 9 percent from the year before. This was also a new high and reflects the impact of a center-initiated nationwide pro-donation campaign since 2004.

TORSC Chairman Dr. Lee Po-chang believes the upward trend is linked to the flash-fire that swept through an after-dark water park dance party last June in New Taipei City killing 15 and injuring over 500.

“The number of organ donors shot up in the two months following the tragedy,” Lee said Jan. 7. “Whenever major disasters strike, they bring out the very best in the people in Taiwan.”

According to Lee, public campaigns by Tainan Mayor William Lai and Taipei Mayor Dr. Ko Wen-je promoting organ donation also helped heighten public awareness of the need to sacrifice for the greater good.

Despite this significant headway, Lee said only a fraction of the country’s organ transplant candidates are able to undergo life-saving surgery every year. “More needs to be done to break traditional misconceptions about organ donation and embrace a good Samaritan philosophy.”

Lee said the government took a strong step in the right direction with promulgation of amendments to Taiwan’s human organ transplant act in September 2014, making the country the first to prioritize donors’ families when adding a recipient to the waiting list.

TORSC statistics show that around 8,630 people are waiting for organ transplants in Taiwan. Among these, 6,629 need kidneys, 1,184 livers and 655 corneas.

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=241036&ctNode=2194&mp=9)