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Hong Kong may ask organ donors to verify identity amid spike in withdrawal requests, minister reveals as he hits out at rumour mongers
- Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau doubles down on proposed cross-border transplant mechanism with mainland China
- Lo calls for people spreading ‘rumours and false claims’ to stop immediately
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Hong Kong’s health minister revealed on Sunday that authorities were considering requiring organ donors to verify their identity amid concerns over an abnormal spike in requests to withdraw from the city’s centralised register.
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Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau also urged residents to stop spreading “rumours and false claims” about the proposed cross-border transplant mechanism which he reiterated would involve organs donated by Hongkongers to be used on the mainland only when there was no suitable local recipient.
“Our good intentions of creating a basic system where you can simply sign your name and register do not appear to have worked,” Lo said during a television interview.
“We hope to guarantee that, whether residents have signed up or not, there will be more verification of their identity … this is something we can improve on in terms of a computer system.”
The minister said it was “quite depressing” that the donor registration system had to be improved in the first place, as it was a way for residents to show their love and respect for life.
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