Q4 Organ donation and transplants
MR CHAN CHUN-YING (in Cantonese):
President, over the years, the Government has been endeavouring to inculcate the culture of organ donation among the public, with a view to reducing individual or family members’ resistance against or hesitation about organ donation. In addition setting up CPOD in 2016, the Government has also introduced the Organ Donation Promotion Charter in the same year and invited organizations, enterprises and schools to become signatories.
Actually, the civil service can first set an example. It is learnt that in Issue No. 97 of the Civil Service Newsletter published in November 2016, an appeal was made to civil servants which went like this: “We hope that you can support organ donation, and pass on our selfless dedication and philanthropic spirit to a wider community”.
May I ask the Secretary in addition to the aforementioned appeal made in 2016, what other follow-up efforts the Government has made to promote organ donation among civil servants? As at now, how is the registration situation of civil servants compared to that of the public?
SECRETARY FOR FOOD AND HEALTH (in Cantonese):
President, I thank Mr CHAN Chun-ying for his question. Mr CHAN has just now asked if we have specifically promoted organ donation among civil servants. Indeed, we have. DH has been paying visits to various organizations and government departments, including the disciplined services, to conduct promotional activities, such as setting up booths in their office buildings to rally them to register. However, regarding how the number or proportion of civil servants who have registered for organ donation compared to that of ordinary citizens, we have not kept in record the relevant information. But one thing for sure, civil servants are among the targets of our organ donation promotion efforts.
We introduced the Organ Donation Promotion Charter for the very purpose that more organizations and groups will hopefully lend support to such a cause. CPOD has been studying other ways to encourage more organizations and groups to mobilize more of their personnel to register for organ donation, and give them certain recognition for that.