Malaysia Elevates Organ Transplantation With New National Transplant Centre And Procurement Push
WORLD NEWS – MALAYSIA: The federal government has elevated organ transplantation to a national priority by placing the National Transplant Centre (NTC) under the Ministry of Health’s medical development division and charging it with coordinating policy and administration across the country. Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr. Zulkifli Ahmad announced a structural overhaul intended to close the gap between Malaysia’s clinical capacity and the persistent shortfall in transplant activity. The move aims to turn technical expertise and infrastructure into higher rates of transplantation for patients waiting for life‑saving tissue and organ transfers.
Key initiatives include establishing a National Organ Transplant Council and forging public‑private partnerships that bring together specialists from private hospitals and universities to assemble a national procurement team. Authorities are also undertaking a review of transplantation policy and the Human Tissues Act 1974 to align legal and procedural frameworks with international standards. These measures are designed to streamline donor identification, organ and tissue procurement, allocation, and the logistics that underpin successful transplant operations.
Officials point to measurable progress in donor registration even as demand remains high: more than 400,000 Malaysians have registered as donors, yet over 10,000 patients continue on transplant waiting lists. The MySejahtera app has been used to simplify the donor pledge process, recording more than 16,000 new registrations through July 2025. Policymakers stress that legal and organizational reform must be paired with sustained efforts to increase public acceptance of donation to translate registrations into transplants.
The NTC’s mandate is immediate and broad—unifying policy, building procurement capacity, and coordinating national teams to accelerate transplantation activity. Success will hinge on synchronizing regulatory updates, clinical readiness, and public engagement to reduce waiting lists and deliver timely transplants to those in need.
Video originally published on 2025-12-29 18:41:55
