Brain-dead man's kin in scuffle over op to remove organs

(The Straits Times Thursday, Febuary 8 2007 H1)

Grief-stricken relatives of a brain-dead man on tuesday begged that his organs not taken - and then got into a tussle with hospital staff when their request was rejected.

Mr Sim Tee Hua,43 , was declared brain dead at 6.20pm on Monday - four days after he collapse at work last day. The cause of death: a stroke, or a brain haemorrhage. The family of Mr Sim requested that they wait for 24hours before the doctors remove his organs, and the doctors agreed. After that time was up, they requested for another 24hours but the doctors felt that the delay would result in the organ becoming unsuitable for transplant and went ahead witht he operation.

Under the Human Organ Transplant Act (Hota) amended in July 2004, kidneys, livers, hearts and ocrneas suitable for transplant can be removed from all Singaporeans and Permanent Residents upon their death- unless they have been opted out. Muslims are excused due to religious reasons.

Mr Sim had not opted out of the programme, so his family was powerless to stop his organs from being removed. Lianhe Wanbao reported that around 20 members of Mr Sim's family intervened when his body was being wheeled into he operating theatre at about 10.15pm on Tuesday. His mother and 5 other relatives went down on their knees to beg doctors to delay the operation for one more day.

But then their request was turned down, emotions ran high and the police was called. An aunt tried to bite a police officer in the arm. Nine police officers and about 10 hospital security staff members were involved in the thre-hour confrontation before the matter was resolved peacefully and the doctors performed the operation.

A Health Ministry spokesman told The Straits Times yesterday: " Where possible, doctors will accomodae a family's request for a grace period as death is usually a difficult time for them. however, the transplant team will have to balance this with the need to save the lives of organ failure patients."

Brain dead is defined as a complete and irrevisible cessation of brain activity. When this happens, a person can be declared dead even the hears continues to beat due to life support measures.

The kidney taken from Mr Sim's body were given to 2 patiends. One, a 55-yea-old man, was on the transplant waiting list for about six years. The other is a 49-year-old man who had been waiting for almost eigh years. Mr Sim's corneas will be transplanted in the next few days. Lagely due to amendmens to Hota, the number of patioeds awaiting a kidney transplant dropped from 673 in 2003 to 605 in mid-2006.

In the 2 years to July 2006, at least 130 people have revised transplants under the revised Act.
Anyone who does not want his organs to be taken after death can register with the Ministry of Health. The opt-out form can be obtained from all public hospitals and polyclinics or from the Organ Donor Registry at SGH.

Satays&Ketupats