SHAH ALAM, May 7 — The Selangor government is intensifying efforts to increase public awareness on organ donation through community outreach, the involvement of higher learning institutions, and the use of the MySejahtera app, due to the clear gap between donors and people on the transplant waitlist.
State executive councillor for public health and environment Jamaliah Jamaluddin said this initiative is being pursued under the Selangor Organ Donation Awareness Campaign with the National Kidney Foundation.
She said current data shows that thousands of patients are still waiting and hoping to live their lives, but donor numbers are still low.
“I always see data that shows a big gap between the number of patients waiting for organ donation and the number of actual donors. In Malaysia, there are 10,268 patients waiting for organ donation,” she said at Selangor’s appreciation ceremony for donors and donors’ next-of-kin at Masjid Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah here today.
Jamaliah said awareness efforts are also being expanded through the Selangor Saring programme, including with exhibits, the distribution of informational material, and the registration of more organ donor pledges on the MySejahtera app.
Youth-led efforts are also being empowered by appointing university students as campaign ambassadors to disseminate information to the community.
“Our goal is clear, which is to build a holistic welfare ecosystem, where organ donation is a norm in society. The theme ‘My Next-of-Kin, Respect My Pledge’ is a call for collective accountability,” she added.
She said that last year, 15,039 people became organ donors nationwide, including 3,888 in Selangor.
Jamaliah also asserted that religion and culture are being emphasised in the campaign, including explaining how organ donation is encouraged in Islam, to address community stigma.
“A benchmark of progress shouldn’t depend on just economic indicators, but should also be measured through helpful attitudes, concern, and selflessness among the people,” she said.
She emphasised the importance of early discussions within families to ensure donors’ wishes are carried out without roadblocks at critical moments.
“Although statistics show an increase in donor pledges through MySejahtera, the effectiveness of these pledges are frequently tested at critical moments due to the absence of early communication with their families.
“I urge the importance of us normalising organ donation discourse within familial institutions,” Jamaliah said.
