Brian Lee Ming Feng, 16

School: Dunman High School

Topic: Are youths apathetic towards organ donation?

Award: High Distinction, Senior Category, 2021

Organ Donation in Contemporary Singapore

Are youths apathetic towards organ donation? Or is their indifference a result of insufficient awareness regarding organ donation? “Youths are apathetic towards organ donation” implies that the youths of today are unconcerned about organ donation. On one hand, organ donations help to land a new lease of life to those with organ failures. They are a beacon of hope and the act of donating one’s organs is encouraged as it can significantly improve another person’s quality of life. On the other hand, some people may find the thought of becoming a part of another individual through a donated organ intimidating and are therefore uncomfortable with the idea of organ donation. In this essay, I will be adopting the viewpoint that the youths of today are not apathetic towards organ donation, and more awareness can be spread about this issue to educate them about organ donation.

Firstly, there has been an increasing number of youths becoming more receptive to the idea of organ donation. According to a study of 281 Singaporeans conducted by a group of students from Hwa Chong Institution (HCI), the willingness of those below the age of 30 to donate their organs after they die was 81.9% compared with 60.3% for those aged 30 to 60, and 22% for those above 60. Based on the poll, youths were found to be the most receptive and open to the idea of organ donation compared to the other generational groups. This could be reflective of the shift in generational mind-set and the increasing importance that youths place on organ donation. Furthermore, the fact that over 80% of youths were open to organ donation helps to emphasise and highlight their concern over the matter of organ donation. There is a greater understanding amongst youths of the importance and severity of lacking sufficient donor organs necessary for patients with organ failures to continue functioning, and the overwhelming support coming from the youths regarding this matter of organ donation helps to show their enthusiasm and their sympathy towards those suffering from such problems. Hence, this helps to show youths concern for such issues. Their willingness to contribute their body for the betterment of others through organ donation and the positive lens in which they view the matter of organ donation helps to show their support for organ donation.

Secondly, the taboo surrounding organ donation has been gradually easing amongst the youths. Despite the government’s efforts to raise awareness of the Human Organ Transplant Act (HOTA), the awareness of this act still remains painfully low. For example, a survey conducted by CNA with 60 over intensive care physicians in Singapore who are involved in referring ICU patients for brain death certification, found out that almost nine in 10 highlighted lack of awareness and acceptance of the HOTA among family members. Singaporeans are reluctant to discuss the topic of organ donation, and this hinders the development of a culture where people are willing to donate their organs due to the lack of sufficient discourse surrounding this matter. Families’ doubts regarding the deceased person’s consent remain strong too and this could make them reluctant to support organ donation. Thankfully, there has been a shift in the mind-set of today’s youths regarding organ donation. Outreach programmes such as the Live On Festival, which is an initiative kick-started by the National Organ Transplant Unit in 2018, have helped to raise awareness of organ donation in an interactive and informative way that allows youths to learn more about organ donation through engaging tasks such as creative-writing and/or art. Through meaningful activities such as this, it helps to provide a platform for youths to exchange their thoughts regarding organ donation. This in turn facilitates communication between them, allowing them to breach the taboo of organ donation, one discussion at a time. Thus, the growing acceptance of organ donation amongst youths helps to show the growing importance that youths place on it. Hence, it would be rather unfair and myopic to claim that youths are apathetic towards organ donation when there has been growing acceptance of organ donation amongst youths.

Some people believe that youths remain apathetic towards organ donation due to their assumption that today’s digitally-obsessed youths lack the necessary civic responsibility and altruism to care for such matters. However, this belief is nothing more than a hasty generalisation of the youths of today. Youths, especially school-aged youths, traditionally have the highest volunteerism rate across all age groups (41% volunteerism rate from the age groups of 15-24 according to the Individual Giving Survey 2016). Thus, youths do indeed have the maturity necessary to broach this subject of organ donation. However, what is lacking and prevents them from developing a greater understanding and concern for this matter is the lack of information that is readily available and accessible to youths with questions pertaining to this topic. Amongst the youths in Singapore who are unwilling to donate, the lack of information is cited as the main reason why they are-hesitant to do so. Conducting lectures about organ donation to youths in schools and organising facility tours could increase outreach to the youths, allowing them to better understand such matters. Adding on, leveraging on the increasing number of youths in social media could allow youths to be engaged more actively, increasing the impact of outreach campaigns.

However, when developing programmes to increase youth’s knowledge and awareness of organ donation, for them to develop a greater concern for organ donation, one must be mindful of the Singapore context and design programmes that are tailored towards the youths. For example, many Chinese remain fairly spiritual, even superstitious. The majority of Chinese in Singapore are Buddhists and they believe in the concept of rebirth. Thus, the thought of donating one’s organs could be appalling, because of the religious belief that it destroys the complete person, and could cause defects if they were to be reborn due to the physical handicap caused by the donated organs. Furthermore, the Malays (most of whom are Muslims in Singapore) place a strong belief in the need to retain the body in its original state when they leave this world. Even though this has been rebuffed by MUIS, the mistaken belief that Islam prohibits organ donation is still believed by many Muslims. Like the majority of Chinese in Singapore, the Indians, many of whom are Hindus, also subscribe to the belief of rebirth. Hence, Singapore’s rich cultural diversity and history could create barriers towards organ donation that could hinder the youths from deciding to donate their organs. Thus, when creating such programmes, one has to be mindful of such matters.

In conclusion, only through knowledge can the fog of ignorance be lifted. The youths of today are definitely not apathetic towards organ donation, however, more work can definitely be done to increase youths awareness regarding organ donation. Emphasising and inculcating the importance of organ donation through sensitive but engaging activities can help students to approach the delicate topic of organ donation, while helping to develop compassion and empathy. Apathy and education goes hand in hand and I believe that through education, one will be able to better understand the need for organ donation.

Disclaimer: Please note that the views and opinions expressed in the essays for the Live On Festival 2021 are those of the participants and are not endorsed by the National Organ Transplant Unit (Ministry of Health).

To learn more about organ donation and organ transplantation in Singapore, please visit www.liveon.gov.sg