Letters | High-handed response to Hongkongers pulling out of organ donor scheme further erodes trust

Readers discuss the Hong Kong government’s response to withdrawals from the organ donor register, the need for a science-based review of the city’s Covid strategy, and the EU’s treatment of China

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People register for the organ donor scheme at a booth in Hong Kong’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital on May 23. For cross-border cooperation to succeed, people must trust that the scheme is accountable. Photo: Jelly Tse

Published: 11:30am, 26 May 2023

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The Hong Kong government has rightly pointed out that organ donation hinges on the principle of altruism, which is self-initiated and voluntary.

Altruism is based on mutual trust and solidarity among members of a community. Various studies have highlighted the importance of social trust in influencing acts of volunteering, among which organ donation is one of the noblest.

It is good to see the Health Bureau working with the mainland authorities to set up a mutually beneficial scheme for organ transplant. But for the cross-border scheme to succeed, it is necessary to maintain Hongkongers’ trust in the scheme.

In this respect, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu’s blistering condemnation of the sharp increase in the number of withdrawals from the existing programme – following the government’s announcement of the cross-border proposal – is counterproductive.

Lee has asked the police to look into the “suspicious act” of people withdrawing from the organ donation register even though they weren’t registered. It should be pointed out that the programme does not in fact provide a way for people to check their registration status.