Malaysia should introduce an opt-out system for organ donations to meet the large demand for organ transplants, especially for kidneys, in the country, say experts.
They suggested that incentives — such as free medical treatment, discounted treatment at private healthcare facilities, cheaper medication and rebates on health and medical equipment — should be provided to encourage people to sign up as organ donors.
Public Awareness Action Committee for Organ Donation former chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye said not all pledges would end up donating their organs upon their deaths as this required consent from their next of kin.
Lee said there were instances where family members had objected to harvesting organs from their dead loved ones despite the latter having pledged to it.
"During our campaigns, we reminded pledges to inform their family members and make sure that the latter are aware of it.
"The government can also consider incentives for family members of organ pledges, like access to healthcare facilities and services," said the Alliance for Safe Community chairman.
Lee suggested campaigns to share success stories of transplantation of organs that had saved lives.
The younger generation, including those in universities, should be educated on the importance of organ donation, he added.
He welcomed ideas to use the MySejahtera app to allow users to register as organ donors.
Universiti Malaya occupational and public health expert Professor Dr Victor Hoe said the Health Ministry's proposal to include an option in the MySejahtera application for people to pledge as organ donors was a laudable move.
Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin, on March 5, said the ministry was mulling enhancing the MySejahtera app by allowing Malaysians to sign up as organ donors to boost the number of donors.
He said the nation practised the opt-in system, whereby the people were required to register to pledge their organs.
"This means people have to register to become an organ donor.
"This is in contrast with the opting-out system as practised in some countries whereby all citizens are presumed to be organ donors unless they opt out from the system.
"If our laws change, then the MySejahtera application will be a good way to convince people to stay as organ donors."
Former Malaysian Public Health Physicians Association president Datuk Dr Zainal Ariffin Omar said the government should consider offering incentives to encourage more people to pledge as organ donors.
He said there was a need for continuous intensive public education and a nationally coordinated mechanism should be in place to ensure the effectiveness of identifying potential donors and recipients.
The Health Ministry in 2016 proposed the Organ and Tissue Transplantation Bill as the Human Tissues Act 1974 has a limited scope.
It had said that the proposed bill generally covered all organs, tissues and cells for transplantations.
A 2005 study titled "Organ Transplantation in Malaysia: A Need for A Comprehensive Legal Regime", published by the National Library of Medicine, noted that the major impediment in procuring organs for transplants in Malaysia was the lack of cadaveric donors.
The lack of cadaveric donors, it said, had encouraged patients to go to India and China to buy organs, especially kidneys, for transplants.
The inadequacies of the Human Tissues Act 1974, it said, had contributed to this problem.
The Human Tissues Act 1974 only relates to cadaveric donors whereas live donors fall within the purview of the common law.