Hong Kong will greatly benefit from proposed organ donation scheme with mainland China, experts say as police investigate wave of withdrawals
- Authorities are reviewing jump in requests by residents to withdraw from existing scheme, with some never having actually registered
- City leader John Lee says he severely condemns those who attempt to ‘sabotage’ system
Hong Kong will greatly benefit from a proposed organ donation scheme with mainland China, transplant experts have said, after a surge in requests to withdraw from the existing programme sparked a blistering condemnation by the city’s leader.
Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu on Tuesday said police had launched an investigation into the suspected abuse of the organ donation system, calling it “shameful and disgraceful” behaviour.
“Some withdrew their applications without even registering. This is a very suspicious act,” Lee told the press before his weekly meeting with the key decision-making body the Executive Council.
Health Bureau figures showed 5,785 residents applied to withdraw from the Centralised Organ Donation Register between last December and April, but more than half, or 2,905, involved people who had never signed up or made repeated attempts to withdraw.
In February alone, the percentage of bogus withdrawal applications was as high as 74 per cent. From 2018 to 2022, the number of withdrawals annually ranged from 266 to 1,068. As of April, there were 357,668 registrations in the system.
“I severely condemn those who attempt to sabotage the system – which has a noble cause of saving lives through organ donations – for their shameful and disgraceful behaviour,” Lee said. “We will also continue to push forward with the collaboration of organ donation with mainland China, as past cooperation proved successful in saving the lives of Hong Kong residents.”
The Health Bureau on Monday said it could not rule out that a small group of people had intentionally made withdrawal attempts to disrupt the register. Police said the cybersecurity and technology crime bureau was investigating and officers would continue to monitor related online activities for any possible illegal acts.
