本地器官捐赠率低 医生促加强宣导 (Local organ donation rate is low, doctors encourage greater awareness and understanding)

In a World Organ Donation Day feature, Dr Emmett Wong Tsz Yeung, Consultant in National University Centre for Organ Transplantation's (NUCOT) Adult Kidney Transplantation Programme, and National University Hospital’s (NUH) Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, explained that a kidney transplant is the best treatment for patients with kidney failure. The average waiting time for patients on the deceased donor waitlist is almost 10 years, while the median survival for patients on dialysis is about six to eight years. He also shared some of the reasons for low deceased and living kidney donor rates in Singapore. 

The report featured an NUH patient who is currently undergoing dialysis while waiting for a deceased donor kidney transplant. Her husband, who is not a suitable living donor for her, also shared how his wife’s experience made him aware of the importance of organ donation. He has since opted in for MTERA, where all his organs and tissues would be donated for transplant and treatment, as well as education and research after death. 

本地器官捐赠率低 医生促加强宣导 (Local organ donation rate is low, doctors encourage greater awareness and understanding)

Health Matters: Can I live with just one kidney?

​In a World Organ Donation Day special live interview, Dr Hersharan Kaur Sran, Medical Director & Senior Consultant, Adult Kidney Transplantation Programme, National University Centre for Organ Transplantation, shared the reasons for a kidney donation, how challenging it is to find a right match, and the importance of living kidney donors. She highlighted that it is possible to live a normal life with one healthy kidney.

Health Matters: Can I live with just one kidney?

​In a World Organ Donation Day special live interview, Dr Hersharan Kaur Sran, Medical Director & Senior Consultant, Adult Kidney Transplantation Programme, NUCOT, shared the reasons for a kidney donation, how challenging it is to find a right match, and the importance of living kidney donors. She highlighted that it is possible to live a normal life with one healthy kidney.

为捐肾救女儿 戒40年烟瘾调整作息 (Father quits smoking after 40 years to donate kidney and save daughter’s life)

​For Father’s Day, Lianhe Zaobao featured the story of how Mr Zhang Bao Cheng made significant lifestyle changes – including quitting a 40-year smoking habit – to donate one of his kidneys to his daughter after she was diagnosed with kidney failure. The transplant was successfully completed at NUCOT after a five-hour operation. 

Article cited Dr Hersharan Kaur Sran, Medical Director & Senior Consultant of the Adult Kidney Transplantation Programme, NUCOT, who explained that the brief period of organ rejection Ms Zhang experienced post-transplant was due to the presence of a small number of antibodies in her blood that rejected foreign organs and tissues. Following two weeks of treatment, Ms Zhang made a full recovery. Mr Zhang said the family was grateful to the doctors and healthcare team who supported them.

Dads: What I did for love (Afraid of needles, but he donated kidney to his daughter)

患抑郁症 积极配合治疗: 76岁父捐肾救爱女 (76-year-old father actively engages in treatment for depression; donates kidney to save beloved daughter)

​Shin Min Daily News prominently featured the story of how a 76-year-old father, Mr Kwan, went through great lengths to treat his depression for the chance to donate his kidney and save his daughter’s life. The transplant was successfully done at NUCOT in August last year.

儿童肾脏移植成功率高 排斥反应须监控 (Paediatric kidney transplant success rate high, risk of rejection calls for vigilant monitoring)

Received mum's kidney at age 5

Isteri teruskan niat walau tahu risiko (Wife insists her intention despite knowing the risks)

​Article on a kidney transplant case between a married couple at SGH mentioned that organ transplantation surgery can only be done at SGH and NUH.

哪些糖尿病患者适合做胰肾移植? (Which diabetic patients are suitable for pancreas-kidney transplants?)

​Dr Hersharan Kaur Sran, Medical Director and Senior Consultant of the Adult Kidney Transplantation Programme, and Senior Consultant of the Adult Pancreas Transplantation Programme at NUCOT, answered some questions on simultaneous pancreas-kidney transplantation. She shared more about the specific criteria to be eligible for the surgery, preparations required and post-operative care for patients.

星期二特写 | 脑死 你了解多少？ (Tuesday Report: How much do you know about brain death?)

基因检测有助诊治管理遗传性肾病 (Genetic testing helps diagnose and manage hereditary kidney disease)

​In an interview with Lianhe Zaobao, A/Prof Ng Kar Hui, Senior Consultant, Division of Paediatric Nephrology, Dialysis and Renal Transplantation, KTP-NUCMI, NUH, shared that only four to five patients out of over 20 people eligible for genetic testing in her care opt for genetic testing. She highlighted that genetic testing done in the early stage can help to identify genes that may cause kidney failure later in life. Preventive measures can then be taken, which may potentially delay kidney failure by 20 to 30 years. 

New way of preserving kidneys for transplant trialled successfully at NUH

​ST highlighted that hypothermic machine perfusion has been trialled successfully in three patients at NUCOT since October 2022. The new organ preservation method helps to ensure that the quality of the donated kidney remains optimal before transplantation.

Tabah hadapi dugaan kesihatan pada usia muda (Persevering in the face of health challenges at a young age)

Berita Harian’s full-page feature on two paediatric transplant patients – Mdm Raziah Begum Alamgir and Ms Dian Zuhairah Wydatie – highlighted how both received successful transplant procedures at a young age at NUCOT, NUH, and have since recovered and gone on to lead fulfilling lives.