Malaysia records 102 deceased organ donors so far in 2026, but 12,575 still await transplants, says MOH

The Ministry of Health (MOH) in Malaysia reported a rise in deceased organ donors from January to August 2026, with 102 donors compared to 89 in 2025, reflecting increased public awareness yet highlighting the unmet demand with 12,575 patients still waiting for organs.

Deputy Director-General of Health, Datuk Dr Azman Yacob, emphasized the necessity of family support in honoring organ donation pledges, as many donor wishes go unfulfilled due to family decision-making after death.

Despite over 450,000 registered donors, actual donations remain low, prompting MOH to enhance strategies, including a National Transplant Council to improve coordination, and religious engagement to address misconceptions.

Terengganu's hosting of National Organ Donation Awareness Week 2026 signifies regional progress and continued focus on boosting donation rates.

KUALA TERENGGANU, Sept 19 — The Ministry of Health (MOH) recorded 102 deceased organ donors from January to August this year.

Deputy Director-General of Health (Medical) Datuk Dr Azman Yacob said this is an increase from the 89 deceased organ donors in 2025, equivalent to roughly 1.3 donors per million population.

He said both figures showed that public awareness of the importance of organ donation had taken root, but was still far from satisfactory, with 12,575 patients still on the waiting list for new organs as of July this year.

“Compared to international statistics, countries such as the UAE (United Arab Emirates), Spain and others have higher organ acceptance rates, reaching 20 to 30 per cent per million population,” he told reporters after officiating the launch of National Organ Donation Awareness Week (MKPO) 2026 here today.

Speaking on this year’s theme, “Warisku, Hormati Ikrarku” (My Heirs, Honour My Pledge), he said MKPO carries the message that a person’s wish to donate organs after death is a humanitarian pledge that deserves to be honoured and affirmed through their family’s support and understanding.

Dr Azman said many families are unaware of their loved one’s wish to donate, which is among the reasons deceased organ donation numbers remain low, and why more lives are not being saved.

He noted that although some 450,000 individuals are registered as organ donors, the number of actual donations remains low, since families have the final say on whether donation proceeds after death.

“When the time comes, when a donor falls ill due to an accident, brain death or other causes, they can no longer make the decision. So awareness among family members is crucial to honouring the donor’s wishes,” he said.

Meanwhile, Dr Azman said Terengganu was chosen to host this year’s MKPO in light of encouraging progress in organ and tissue donation across the East Coast states, reflecting growing public awareness.

He said Terengganu recorded seven organ or tissue donation procedures this year, while Pahang and Kelantan each recorded one, their first in a long time.

Meanwhile, Dr Azman said the Health Ministry will continue to work on increasing the number of actual organ donors through various measures.

This includes setting up the National Transplant Council as a strategic platform to drive better coordination of the country’s organ donation and transplantation agenda.

He added that MOH will also step up engagement with institutions across all religions, helping the public better understand organ donation, including the fact that it does not contradict religious requirements.

“Sustained explanation of the legal and religious aspects is crucial, as confusion over these matters can be a factor deterring people from coming forward as organ donors,” he said. — Bernama

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马来西亚卫生部报告称，2026 年 1 月至 8 月的器官捐献者人数有所增加，达到 102 人，而 2025 年同期为 89 人，这反映出公众意识的提高，但也凸显了器官捐献需求未得到满足，仍有 12,575 名患者在等待器官移植。

卫生部副总监拿督阿兹曼·雅各布医生强调，家人支持对于履行器官捐献承诺至关重要，因为许多捐献者的遗愿由于家人在死后做出的决定而无法实现。

尽管有超过 45 万名注册捐献者，但实际捐献数量仍然很低，这促使卫生部加强策略，包括成立国家移植委员会以改善协调，以及开展宗教活动以消除误解。

登嘉楼州主办 2026 年全国器官捐献宣传周，标志着该地区在提高捐献率方面取得了进展，并将继续致力于提高捐献率。

瓜拉登嘉楼，9月19日讯——卫生部记录显示，今年1月至8月共有102例器官捐献死亡病例。

卫生部副总监（医疗）拿督阿兹曼·雅各布医生表示，这比 2025 年的 89 名器官捐献者有所增加，相当于每百万人口约有 1.3 名捐献者。

他表示，这两个数字都表明公众对器官捐献重要性的认识已经扎根，但仍然远远不够令人满意，截至今年7月，仍有12575名患者在等待新的器官移植。

“与国际统计数据相比，阿联酋、西班牙等国的器官接受率更高，达到每百万人口 20% 至 30%。”他在今天于此地主持 2026 年全国器官捐献宣传周 (MKPO) 启动仪式后告诉记者。

谈到今年的主题“Warisku, Hormati Ikrarku”（我的继承人，请尊重我的承诺），他说，MKPO传递的信息是，一个人在死后捐献器官的愿望是一种人道主义承诺，应该通过家人的支持和理解得到尊重和肯定。

阿兹曼博士表示，许多家庭并不知道他们的亲人有捐献器官的意愿，这也是死后器官捐献数量仍然很低，以及无法挽救更多生命的原因之一。

他指出，虽然约有 45 万人登记为器官捐献者，但实际捐献的数量仍然很低，因为最终决定权在于家属，他们决定死后是否进行捐献。

他说：“当捐赠者因意外、脑死亡或其他原因患病时，他们就无法再做出决定了。因此，提高家庭成员的意识对于尊重捐赠者的意愿至关重要。”

与此同时，阿兹曼博士表示，鉴于东海岸各州在器官和组织捐献方面取得了令人鼓舞的进展，反映出公众意识的提高，因此选择登嘉楼州作为今年马来西亚器官捐献大会的举办地。

他说，登嘉楼州今年记录了 7 例器官或组织捐献手术，而彭亨州和吉兰丹州各记录了 1 例，这是这两个州多年来的首次。

与此同时，阿兹曼博士表示，卫生部将继续通过各种措施增加实际器官捐献者的数量。

这包括设立国家移植委员会，作为推动更好地协调国家器官捐献和移植议程的战略平台。

他还补充说，卫生部还将加强与各宗教机构的合作，帮助公众更好地了解器官捐献，包括器官捐献并不与宗教要求相冲突这一事实。

他说：“持续解释法律和宗教方面的问题至关重要，因为对这些问题的困惑可能会阻碍人们成为器官捐献者。”——马新社

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