Tay Qi Xuan, 16

School

Manjusri Secondary School

9 January 2025

Roadshows are the most effective way to engage, educate and encourage all age groups on organ donation.

School: Manjusri Secondary School

Topic: Roadshows are the most effective way to engage, educate and encourage all age groups on organ donation

Award: Distinction, Senior Category, 2025

More than just roadshows: Educating, engaging and encouraging residents from the heart

Can you ever imagine your own heart beating in another person’s body, your cornea helping another person see clearly, or your body being used for education and research after your death? To many, the immediate answer would be no. But, for many patients who are on the waiting list for organ donation, this is their last glimmer of hope. According to the National University of Singapore, more than 500 people in Singapore are waiting for an organ transplant. However, some of them die before an organ is available, while others might become ineligible due to deteriorating health. So, the question remains, is there any way to engage, educate and encourage residents from all age groups to organ donation to turn this glimmer of hope into a radiant light?

In Singapore, efforts have been put in place by organisations like the National Organ Transplant Unit (NOTU). One of their key initiatives is the annual Live On Festival (LOF) which aims to promote greater awareness towards organ donation and transplantation to facilitate shifts in societal attitudes and views on organ donation to encourage organ donation. They do so by holding roadshows in heartlands, reaching more people in the community. These roadshows are effective in raising awareness about organ donation, giving people a brief idea on what it is. However, while roadshows allow us to reach a larger audience, this may not be enough to make an impact on people and change their mindset. For many, roadshows are just something that they chance upon while shopping or wander through to help them pass time. Worse still, some people approach these roadshows about organ donation with cynicism, questioning the true intentions behind the campaign and may feel that the roadshow is just a cover-up to take advantage of people’s goodwill. They might even question whether the organs are actually going to people in need or sold to the person who pays the most money. Yet, this precious opportunity to engage, educate and encourage residents is a lifeline for many patients. Every missed opportunity could mean another life lost. Roadshows are an important tool, but are insufficient on their own. To make a more lasting impact, other effective strategies must be developed to bring greater attention to this issue.

Apart from roadshows in the heartlands, schools are a good place that will present a chance to educate and engage students about organ donation. As part of NOTU’s efforts to educate Singaporeans about organ donation and transplantation, interactive talks are conducted in schools to allow students to appreciate organ donation and encourage them to have discussions with their families and peers. Although students may not be of legal age to donate their organs yet, educating them about the shortage of organs in Singapore is crucial to ensure that they do not opt out from organ donation out of fear or misinformation when the time comes. Human Organ Transplant Act (HOTA) allows for the kidneys, heart, liver and corneas to be recovered in the event of death from any cause, for the purpose of treatment and transplantation. It is critical that the future generation learn about organ donation before it is too late to convince and reach them. On top of the students in school, the talks held in school can also reach the teachers, which enables them to know more about organ donation, and may be motivated to sign up for organ donation, through the Medical (Therapy, Education and Research) Act (MTERA). Some of the organs and tissues that can be donated under MTERA include lungs, trachea, pancreas, heart valves, iliac vessels and skin. This will give hope to finding life – providing treatments that can help reduce the suffering of many. As John F. Kennedy said, “One person can make a big difference, and everyone should try”. With just one organ donor, multiple lives can be saved.

Being a multiracial and multireligious society, Singapore needs to take into consideration the beliefs and concerns people from different religious groups may have when promoting organ donation. Collaborating with different religious leaders and communities is an important step in dispelling myths and taboos about organ donation to assure people that they are not going against their own faiths by taking part in organ donation. In 1990, the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) worked with the highest Singapore Islamic Authority – the Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura (MUIS), to set-up the Muslim Kidney Action Committee, a voluntary group comprising members from 10 local Muslim organisations, to advance efforts in promoting kidney donation and transplantation among the Muslim community. Although most of the efforts have been targeted mainly towards Muslims, these efforts should eventually be expanded to other religious groups, listening to their fears and addressing them effectively. This way, barriers can be removed and reassurance provided, increasing the pool of organ donors.

Many elderly people may also not fully understand the concept of organ donation, and would want to opt out of HOTA in fear that their bodies would be taken apart and treated with disrespect just to retrieve their organs for other patients. What they do not realise is that the donor’s body will always be cared for with the utmost respect. The same surgical standards applied to any living person undergoing surgery are also applied to organ donors during organ retrieval surgery. Any incisions made during the removal of organs are carefully closed up after the procedure. Given that most elderly individuals spend most of their time at home, one effective way to reach and educate this age group is through dramas, as they would often go on the television to catch up on dramas, which is the perfect opportunity for them to learn about this issue. The Channel 8 drama “You Can Be an Angel 2” focused on organ donation for transplantation. It served as an effective way to discuss the concept of organ donation. In the drama, an individual with brain haemorrhage decided to donate her organs, eventually saving the lives of five patients. Dramas like this with emotional storylines can reach the elderly in a gentle and non-pressurising way, giving them more time to reflect and make a decision.

Convincing an individual to become an organ donor is already a difficult task, but asking a parent to consent to the donation of their child’s organs while their child is still lying in front of them makes this task exponentially harder. Many parents initially refuse to consent to the donation of their child’s organs as they may not want their child’s body to be operated on after everything that they have suffered. To shift the perspective of these parents, news reports of other parents consenting to the donation of their child’s organs can be published, showing parents faced with these difficult decisions that they can honour their children by donating their organs, saving more lives. One example of a parent consenting to the donation of her child’s organs is the mother of a 14-year-old boy, Isaac Loo, from Woodlands Secondary School who collapsed in school midway a 2.4km practice run and was declared brain dead more than three weeks after the incident. While Isaac’s mother initially did not want to donate his organs, she changed her mind after learning that more than 400 patients were waiting for organ transplant, and to honour her son’s dream of helping people. Isaac’s organs were donated to at least three patients, giving them a second chance in life. News reports that show another parent’s invaluable decision to donate their child’s organs, will enable parents faced with this unbearable decision to make a more informed choice on the donation of their child’s organs, while also providing some comfort in their decision, knowing that they are doing the right thing.

In a nutshell, while roadshows may be an effective way for organ donation to reach a larger audience, it may not be the most effective way to encourage, educate and engage residents in making a decision on organ donation. After all, organ donation is a huge decision one would have to make, and should not be taken lightly. For an individual or family member to decide on what to do to themselves’ or their loved ones’ organs after their death carries an extremely heavy emotional weight, and is not something that can be decided in a few minutes while walking through the mall. Thus, efforts like collaborations with schools, religious leaders and communities and the media are also ways that should be added on top of just roadshows. This can ensure that people will be able to make an informed choice about their decision to donate their organs, and understand that they are giving somebody else the valuable chance to live, helping them to find the courage to make this choice.

References

Disclaimer: Please note that the views and opinions expressed in the essays for the Live On Festival 2025 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

Government officials will never ask you to transfer money or disclose bank log-in details over a phone call.

Tay Qi Xuan, 16

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