Organ harvesting opt out form.

[sgbuyer]

Singapore's law specifies that 2 qualified doctors can certify a person as brain dead and the organs can be harvested after that. This law applies to PRs also.

I've found a form that you can fill up to opt out of this act. This form is not easy to find, it is not even on Ministry of Health website, so I don't know whether it is valid.

Note: I've not found an electronic way to file this form using Singpass.

http://www.liveon.sg/content/dam/moh...PLC%20Pink.pdf

[teddybear]

I thought I read from Sunday newspaper that a Singaporean lady has woken up after many doctors pronounced her as brain dead in Hong Kong hospital but AngMo husband refused to switch off the machine to keep her alive. She was recovered and then discharged in a week though there is complication in her heart. If she was here in Singapore, she was already a dead woman and will never alive and recover fully and healthily since only 2 doctors are required to certify her as brain dead and then can switch off the machine that can keep her alive and remove her organs here!

MOH has to re-look at the whole situation again since there is already a miracle case!

I better opt out now and let my family to decide for me then.

Singapore's law specifies that 2 qualified doctors can certify a person as brain dead and the organs can be harvested after that. This law applies to PRs also.

I've found a form that you can fill up to opt out of this act. This form is not easy to find, it is not even on Ministry of Health website, so I don't know whether it is valid.

Note: I've not found an electronic way to file this form using Singpass.

http://www.liveon.sg/content/dam/moh...PLC%20Pink.pdf

[eng81157]

I thought I read from Sunday newspaper that a Singaporean lady has woken up after many doctors pronounced her as brain dead in Hong Kong hospital but AngMo husband refused to switch off the machine to keep her alive. She was recovered and then discharged in a week though there is complication in her heart. If she was here in Singapore, she was already a dead woman and will never alive and recover fully and healthily since only 2 doctors are required to certify her as brain dead and then can switch off the machine that can keep her alive and remove her organs here!

MOH has to re-look at the whole situation again since there is already a miracle case!

I better opt out now and let my family to decide for me then.

let's wait for the reporter to clarify her article. i believe there were incorrect terms used in it.

MoH has stated clearly there are several checks to ascertain whether a person is brain dead or in deep coma.

[zzz1]

If remember correctly , recently there was a case of the army boy in which the family disputed with the hospital whom were very anxious to harvest the organ...

[eng81157]

If remember correctly , recently there was a case of the army boy in which the family disputed with the hospital whom were very anxious to harvest the organ...

cos' someone may be on the brink of death while waiting for organ transplant. time is usually critical and hence, the urgency.

[windcar]

If remember correctly , recently there was a case of the army boy in which the family disputed with the hospital whom were very anxious to harvest the organ...

Maybe someone who is VIP or very rich is waiting for the organ.

[eng81157]

Maybe someone who is VIP or very rich is waiting for the organ.

the process is governed strictly by a board of ethics as well. singapore is not china or india

[thomastansb]

Not only in Singapore. Many countries have reported brain dead person waking up.

I am going to opt out for sure. The brain dead diagnosis is crap.

In UK, there were 4 doctors (independent) certifying the patient as "brain dead". But he still woke up. They called it a miracle. I call it medical failure. Just because the equipments are not sensitive enough doesn't mean the brain is dead.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/he...r-doctors.html

I thought I read from Sunday newspaper that a Singaporean lady has woken up after many doctors pronounced her as brain dead in Hong Kong hospital but AngMo husband refused to switch off the machine to keep her alive. She was recovered and then discharged in a week though there is complication in her heart. If she was here in Singapore, she was already a dead woman and will never alive and recover fully and healthily since only 2 doctors are required to certify her as brain dead and then can switch off the machine that can keep her alive and remove her organs here!

MOH has to re-look at the whole situation again since there is already a miracle case!

I better opt out now and let my family to decide for me then.

[eng81157]

Not only in Singapore. Many countries have reported brain dead person waking up.

I am going to opt out for sure. The brain dead diagnosis is crap.

In UK, there were 4 doctors (independent) certifying the patient as "brain dead". But he still woke up. They called it a miracle. I call it medical failure. Just because the equipments are not sensitive enough doesn't mean the brain is dead.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/he...r-doctors.html

erm in the article, the crash victim was not brain dead. he was merely in a coma but the doctors just proclaimed he can't recover. this is bordering medical negligence liao.

[zzz1]

cos' someone may be on the brink of death while waiting for organ transplant. time is usually critical and hence, the urgency.

The intention is good, also in a double edge sword, the 'presumed brain dead' life is taken to save another ...depend on where u stand and perspective ,

But the doctors had a very hard call for this certification...

[hopeful]

The intention is good, also in a double edge sword, the 'presumed brain dead' life is taken to save another ...depend on where u stand and perspective ,

But the doctors had a very hard call for this certification...

difficult decision meh?
if dont do anything and brain dead stay alive, only hospital earn the money.
if can perform organ transplant, doctor also can earn money.

er....what difficult call are you talking about?

[teddybear]

I better be safe than sorry.

The intention is good, also in a double edge sword, the 'presumed brain dead' life is taken to save another ...depend on where u stand and perspective ,

But the doctors had a very hard call for this certification...

[eng81157]

The intention is good, also in a double edge sword, the 'presumed brain dead' life is taken to save another ...depend on where u stand and perspective ,

But the doctors had a very hard call for this certification...

technically, it cannot be considered taking a live to save another. the brain-dead person is legally dead. you can be assured that the medical and legal community have developed stringent safeguards, not this is not restricted only to singapore.

since we are on this touchy topic of taking a life, then should abortion be considered as murder? the act is truly a destruction of life by another.
Brain Death

In traditional Western medical practice, death was defined as the cessation of the body's circulatory and respiratory (blood pumping and breathing) functions. With the invention of machines that provide artificial circulation and respiration that definition has ceased to be practical and has been modified to include another category of death called brain death. People can now be kept alive using such machines even when their brains have effectively died and are no longer able to control their bodily functions. Moreover, in certain medical procedures, such as open-heart surgery, individuals do not breathe or pump blood on their own. Since it would be wrong to declare as dead all persons whose circulatory or respiratory systems are temporarily maintained by artificial means (a category that includes many patients undergoing surgery), the medical community has determined that an individual may be declared dead if brain death has occurred—that is, if the whole brain has ceased to function, or has entered what is sometimes called a persistent vegetative state. An individual whose brain stem (lower brain) has died is not able to maintain the vegetative functions of life, including respiration, circulation, and swallowing. According to the Uniform Determination of Death Act (§ 1, U.L.A. [1980]), from which most states have developed their brain death statutes, "An individual who has sustained either (1) irreversible cessation of circulatory and respiratory function, or (2) irreversible cessation of all functions of the entire brain, including the brain stem, is dead."
Brain death becomes a crucial issue in part because of the importance of organ transplants. A brain-dead person may have organs—a heart, a liver, and lungs, for example—that could save other people's lives. And for an individual to be an acceptable organ donor, he or she must be dead but still breathing and circulating blood. If a brain-dead person is maintained on artificial respiration until his or her heart fails, then these usable organs would perish. Thus, the medical category of brain death makes it possible to accomplish another goal: saving lives with organ transplants.

[teddybear]

There is ethical play here. Odds are against the affected patient. All the more I should opt out.

difficult decision meh?
if dont do anything and brain dead stay alive, only hospital earn the money.
if can perform organ transplant, doctor also can earn money.

er....what difficult call are you talking about?

[eng81157]

There is ethical play here. Odds are against the affected patient. All the more I should opt out.

you can trust that there is an entire board of ethics to safeguard patient safety

[zzz1]

difficult decision meh?
if dont do anything and brain dead stay alive, only hospital earn the money.
if can perform organ transplant, doctor also can earn money.

er....what difficult call are you talking about?

I believe hospital will more willing to discharge patient , if possible and let family take over consideration of bed vacancy running low.

The difficult part is to proclaim brain dead le..both technically and ethnically..

[hyenergix]

I believe hospital will more willing to discharge patient , if possible and let family take over consideration of bed vacancy running low.

The difficult part is to proclaim brain dead le..

Organ transplant is $ for the hospital and doctors.

It is a double-edge sword if you opt out.

[hopeful]

you can trust that there is an entire board of ethics to safeguard patient safety

i only trust
1) the fact that human beings act in their self interest.
2) doctors very very rarely testify against their colleagues.

and in organ transplant, there are 2 patients.
the "brain-dead patient" and the "patient waiting for organ transplant".

I do trust that the entire board of ethics will safeguard the "patient waiting for organ transplant"'s interests.

usually 1 brain-dead can "donate" organs to several patients.
the mathematics say kill 1 to save a few.

donate cornea, eye specialist earn money
donate kidney, kidney specialist earn money.
donate liver, liver specialist earn money.
donate heart, heart specialist earn money.

The odds are indeed against the brain-dead.

ps:
LKY once said nothing is free, so how come the donor and family dont earn money from organ transplant?

[eng81157]

I believe hospital will more willing to discharge patient , if possible and let family take over consideration of bed vacancy running low.

The difficult part is to proclaim brain dead le..both technically and ethnically..

it's a checklist of 7 safeguards, if i remember correctly. fail any single one and the patient cannot be declared brain dead. the hard part is communicating to the family and persuading them to let the hospital harvest the organs

hospital cannot discharge a brain-dead patient. pull the plug, respiratory and circulatory function stops immediately.

[eng81157]

i only trust
1) the fact that human beings act in their self interest.
2) doctors very very rarely testify against their colleagues.

and in organ transplant, there are 2 patients.
the "brain-dead patient" and the "patient waiting for organ transplant".

I do trust that the board of ethics will safeguard the "patient waiting for organ transplant"'s interests.

usually 1 brain-dead can "donate" organs to several patients.
the mathematics say kill 1 to save a few.

donate cornea, eye specialist earn money
donate kidney, kidney specialist earn money.
donate liver, liver specialist earn money.
donate heart, heart specialist earn money.

The odds are indeed against the brain-dead.

ps:
LKY once said nothing is free, so how come the donor and family dont earn money from organ transplant?

erm, it is compulsory to have non-doctors (there is a specific composition - e.g. at least 1 lawyer and 1 religious person) on the board of ethics.

[eng81157]

and to add on, the donor doesn't get money because it is a donation. the moment money comes in, then ethics get blurred. moreover, it is illegal to have monetary transactions of organs - i.e. organ trafficking is illegal

hence, singapore law guards patient's safety adequately.

[zzz1]

technically, it cannot be considered taking a live to save another. the brain-dead person is legally dead. you can be assured that the medical and legal community have developed stringent safeguards, not this is not restricted only to singapore.

since we are on this touchy topic of taking a life, then should abortion be considered as murder? the act is truly a destruction of life by another.

Errmmm.. Properly am assured that there are check/process/procedure in place ..

..but trust , on the judgement , is another matter especially if you are the immediate family whom will fight for every possible chance or miracles or divine intervention
...

[eng81157]

for all who are uncomfortable with the article, i plead with you to wait for clarifications before deciding to opt out.

at least, please speak to a MoH counsellor first to understand your rights before acting rashly. organ transplants save lives

[eng81157]

Errmmm.. Properly am assured that there are check/process/procedure in place ..

..but trust , on the judgement , is another matter especially if you are the immediate family whom will fight for every possible chance or miracles or divine intervention
...

once the brain is dead, you've already moved on into the afterlife. brain-dead is different from being in a vegetative state or coma - the latter can recover

[zzz1]

I better be safe than sorry.

I am lagi kai sia....

[eng81157]

if pulling the ventilator on brain-dead patient is already a no-no, then what about abortion??

i regard that as a bigger evil

[Cupcakes]

and to add on, the donor doesn't get money because it is a donation. the moment money comes in, then ethics get blurred. moreover, it is illegal to have monetary transactions of organs - i.e. organ trafficking is illegal

hence, singapore law guards patient's safety adequately.

so who pay for removing or transferring out the organs?

[zzz1]

for all who are uncomfortable with the article, i plead with you to wait for clarifications before deciding to opt out.

at least, please speak to a MoH counsellor first to understand your rights before acting rashly. organ transplants save lives

Sound advise.... Appreciate that...

[eng81157]

so who pay for removing or transferring out the organs?

i'm not privy to how the hospital finance system works. logically speaking, it should be borne by the recipient of the organ/s

[eng81157]

Sound advise.... Appreciate that...

you're welcome.

i'm more concerned of the public reacting negatively to the news. if we imagine the forum as a microcosm of the society, at least there is a rational discussion here. what about the less educated who have no access to information?

if everyone opts out of the HOTA act, then kidney, heart, cornea, liver, lung, skin failure patients are going to suffer or die waiting for one