As generous as Malaysians can be, they still have a problem when donating in "kind", literally. Malaysians, especially the Malays, it seems are not big on pledging their organs.

This apathy towards saving a life is taking a very slow pace at being eroded. Campaigns after campaigns have been organised to educate people on the importance of organ donation. Yet, organ donation remains a taboo subject among Malaysians.

Just why is an act so noble like saving a life not being spoken with passion by one and all. Why do people cringe at the request of being asked to pledge their organs? The root problem can be pointed at one factor - people's ignorance about what organ donation truly is and their reluctance to let go of myths surrounding organ donation.

Ethnicity-wise, it is the Malays who are still shying away from donating organs. Although the number of pledges from the Malay community has increased since the first organ donation campaign was held in 1996, the figure is overshadowed by that coming from the Chinese and Indian communities respectively.

The main reason why the Malay community is not favourable towards organ donation is due to their belief that the body of a deceased should not be tampered with. This belief is embraced tightly by many Malays, in spite of the fact that the National Fatwa Council in the 70s had issued a decree that it was perfectly alright for Muslims to donate the organs of a deceased to help the needy. Yet, convincing the Malays to donate organs of dead family member still remains a challenge.

Figures from the National Transplant Resource Centre released to the press recently by Lee Lam Thye, chairperson of the national organ donation's public awareness committee, show that the majority of the 78, 150 who have pledged their organs with the National Transplant Resource Centre are still the Chinese and Indians, aged between 21 and 30.

The Chinese make up 51, 784 (66.3 per cent) and the Indians at 17, 070 (21.8 per cent). Another three per cent or 2, 288 comprised people of other races. As for the Malays, their pledges stand at a visibly low 6, 948 or less than 10 per cent.

Not a racial issue

While the above figures speak volumes of just how much more needs to be done to make everyone aware of the importance of pledging their organs, it is imperative that organ donation not be made a racial issue at any cost, if the spirit of this act is constantly kept in mind. No doubt that the Malays are reluctant to come out in big numbers to pledge their organs.

However, this situation can be improved, albeit slowly, by educating the Malays, especially the younger generation on the importance of organ donation and what organ donation is all about. This work of educating the Malays must not be a singular effort. Instead, it must be led by individuals representing this race, for then the effort of convicing the community becomes easier.

The involvement of agencies like Jabatan Kemajuan Islam Malaysia (Jakim) while crucial can be complemented with the support of mosque officials, Malay politicians, ministers and celebrities ie singers, artistes and writers. If the mind-set of the Malays is to be changed in saving a life, then no stone must be left unturned in doing so. The current Cabinet line-up which has a majority of Malay politicians, should set an example by getting these wakil rakyats and their families to pledge their organs.

A look at other Muslim countries like Egypt, Morocco and Saudi Arabia will reveal their pro-active efforts in propagating the importance of organ and tissue donation to its people.

It would help if everyone kept in mind that each year 3,000 patients need corneal transplants, 200 to 300 people need liver transplants and 40 to 60 people need heart transplants. A cadaveric donor can save not just one but up to seven lives, as it is not only the heart and corneas, but various other tissues that can be harvested from one cadaver.

With these figures always in mind, there should be no reason why one would act selfish when the issue concerns pledging one's organs.

Understand organ donation

When talking of organ donation, people often have the misconception that should they pledge their organs, it will automatically lead to their organs being removed upon their death. This however, is not the case.

In reality, only two to three per cent of donors who have pledged their organs will actually end up donating them because the organs can only be harvested from a brain dead person in an intensive care unit and is aided by a ventilator which pumps oxygen into his or her system to keep it going.

A doctor has to certify that the donor is brain dead in accordance with very strict criteria. Six hours later, another doctor from a different unit will again certify that the donor is brain dead. Then only it is deemed permissible to harvest the organs. As the heart is the most perishable of organs, it will he the first to be removed, followed by the liver and other organs.

Once the organs have been removed, they are kept in a preservative and taken to the hospital where the transplants are to take place. The heart has to be used within four to six hours after it has been harvested while corneas can be harvested up to seven day after death in a non-hospital setting.

If the donor is in a comatose state, the organ transplant cannot take place as the brain stem is alive and can kick back at any time.

Consider 'opt out' system

In Malaysia, organ donation is by consent i.e. "opt in", which means that even after the organs have been pledged, the donor's next-of-kin must again consent before the organs can be harvested or removed.

While Singapore practises the "opt out" system where everyone automatically becomes an organ donor unless he or she declares otherwise, the system is not seen as feasible in a multi-racial society like Malaysia. But back in 1995, "opt out" was considered by the then Health Minister Lee Kim Sai. His idea however was shot down by religious organisations and several other authorities who were against the idea of coercing Malaysians to donate their organs upon death.

Looking at the people's indifference towards saving a life, maybe it is time that the "opt out" system be once again given a serious thought, this time with the emphasis being on saving a life. Let us show that "Malaysia Boleh" when it comes to saving a fellow human's life!

JJ RAY started her career with a mainstream publication. A non-conformist, she soon saw the barriers that went up whenever, through her writing, she tried to make the world a home for one and all.