Source:
www.moh.gov.sg |
Speech by Dr Khaw Boon Wan on 7
April 2009 |
An Excerpt |
|
Working out safeguards |
Now that the Bill has been passed, we
can move to the next stage of formulating the operational details
and the safeguards that need to be put in. We will do this, in
consultation with the transplant centres, the transplant ethics
committees and interested members of the public. We will do this
carefully and thoroughly and will not rush to implement the changes,
until we have the appropriate guidelines and regulatory mechanisms
in place. |
Several good ideas were surfaced in
Parliament and in the public forum. They include the following: |
First, we will institute an effective
system of selecting and informing potential donors. If donors are
well selected through a comprehensive and thorough medical and
psychological assessment, we can better ensure that their
post-surgery complications are minimized and they are unlikely to be
victims of exploitation. |
Such a comprehensive system of medical
check-ups and counseling will cost the donors. With the amendment of
HOTA, these expenses can now be properly charged to the prospective
recipients. Any patient with a potential living donor will be
required to make this payment directly to the hospital or clinic
charged with the responsibility of ensuring a thorough medical and
psychological evaluation of the donor. This is the concept of
payment through a third party that several MPs mentioned in
Parliament. |
Second, we will impose a cooling off
period for the potential donors to have time to reflect on their
decisions. This will prevent any future regrets. With availability
of dialysis, kidney transplant is not instantly needed. A cooling
off period of 2 -3 weeks should not unduly impact the health of the
patient. |
Third, I like MP Mdm Halimah Yaacob’s
suggestion that some of the payment should go towards topping up the
donors’ Medisave Accounts. We will encourage this payment mode. But
it will have to satisfy CPF rules on voluntary contribution of this
nature. The payment will therefore have to be capped. |
Fourth, we will implement the scheme in
stages, starting with patient-donor pairs involving Singaporeans. As
suggested by MP Dr Lim Wee Kiak, we will extend the payment scheme
to patient-donor pairs who are both foreigners last, after we have
gained confidence in the scheme. |
These are some of the ideas that we
intend to incorporate. The purpose is to ensure that kidney
transplants are carried out with a high level of ethics that
Singaporeans can be proud of. |
The debate in Parliament over the HOTA
bill was intense and robust. This is as it should be as we are
dealing with difficult ethical issues. In ethics, two completely
rational and reasonable persons can disagree. That is why ethical
rules are hard to codify and are often best left to committees of
wise persons to assess and judge, within prescribed principles. That
is how our HOTA rules on payment will be applied. |
Source:
www.moh.gov.sg News 7
Apr 2009 (Excerpt) |
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