Health Minister floats four possible ways of reimbursing living kidney donors.
| By Salma Khalik, Health Correspondent | ||
 |  | Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan (left) said that reimbursing living kidney donors will be extended to foreigners only when there is enough confidence in the scheme. -- ST PHOTO: LIM WUI LIANG |
Allowing payment to foreigners for a kidney was a major sticking point, both in Parliament and in public debates on this controversial move which is provided in the recently-passed Human Organ Transplant Act (Hota).
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Although it would be seen as fair to apply the same law to both Singaporeans and foreigners, Mr Khaw on Tuesday said a staggered approach would iron out possible abuse.
'We don't want Singapore to be a rogue regime. Let's not rush into it,' said the minister at the 40th anniversary celebration of the National Kidney Foundation (NKF).
The suggestion to start with Singaporean patient-donor pairs first before extending to foreigners was suggested by Sembawang GRC MP Dr Lim Wee Kiak.
The scheme will likely start next year, since it will take some time to work out details, including the crucial question of how much constitutes just compensation and not inducement.
While more than 20 countries allow some form of reimbursement to living kidney donors, what is allowed varies from the cost of surgery, to loss of earnings, travel and even childcare.
Mr Khaw promised that the scheme here will reflect 'a high level of ethics that Singaporeans can be proud of'.
He reiterated that reimbursing donors 'is the right thing to do' since the act does put the donor's health at risk.
'The least we can do is to make sure that they do not suffer financial losses due to medical treatment, lost income and other related expenses.'
Mr Khaw also floated three other possible ways of reimbursing living kidney donors that may be incorporated into the guidelines now being formulated.
These include setting up an effective system of selecting and informing potential donors which will minimise post-surgery complications and exploitation of victims, imposing a cooling off period of two to three weeks for the potential donors to reflect on their decisions to prevent any future regrets, and using the payment from the reimbursement to top up the donors' Medisave accounts.
Mr Khaw later told journalists that the four recent amendments to the Hota will be gazetted separately, with reimbursement for kidney donation possibly coming into effect next year.
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