HKSAR Government thanks Central Government and relevant Mainland authorities for their support in assisting Hong Kong to successfully save life of baby girl
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A Government spokesman said that a four-month-old baby girl in Hong Kong, Tsz-hei, suffered from heart failure earlier due to dilated cardiomyopathy and was urgently in need of a heart transplant to continue her life. Despite Tsz-hei has been arranged to wait for a heart transplant on the Hong Kong Human Organ Waiting List, no suitable donor has been found in Hong Kong so far due to her very young age. In the light of Tsz-hei's urgent situation, the HKSAR Government hence sought permission and assistance from the Central Government to co-ordinate organ sharing for saving Tsz-hei in case there is a brain-dead donor who meets the relevant clinical need and no suitable recipients were identified in the Mainland. Upon receipt of the HKSAR Government's request, the Central Government, in conjunction with the National Health Commission (NHC) and other relevant Mainland authorities, immediately established an interdepartmental co-ordination centre with Hong Kong through the China Organ Transplant Response System (COTRS) to formulate emergency response plan. The national human organ donation network has made remarkable achievements in recent years and was highly recognised by the World Health Organization. Through COTRS, Chinese citizens (including permanent residents of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan) could now benefit from fair and equitable organ distribution and sharing.
Yesterday (December 16), a brain-dead child patient in the Mainland donated his heart selflessly. After several rounds of automatic matching by the COTRS across the country, it was confirmed that there was no suitable recipient for the heart in the Mainland. Therefore, in the light of the request from the HKSAR Government, an ad-hoc plan on human organ sharing for medical emergency rescue between the Mainland and Hong Kong was urgently activated. With the strong support and co-operation from the NHC, the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council (HKMAO), the General Administration of Customs (GAC) and relevant Mainland authorities, approvals for the plan were secured within a very short period of time. The Mainland hospital hence immediately arranged an operation, and the organ was procured and transported to Hong Kong urgently.
For Hong Kong, the importation of human organs into Hong Kong for transplant purposes is regulated by Sections 4 and 7 of the Human Organ Transplant Ordinance (Cap. 465) and Section 4 of the Human Organ Transplant Regulation (Cap. 465A). According to the Ordinance, when organs are imported into Hong Kong, they must be accompanied by relevant imported organ certificates, and the certificates must contain the statutorily required information, including statement that, in obtaining the organ, all applicable laws of the importing place were complied with, etc. The Hospital Authority (HA) has submitted the relevant certificate for the import of the organ in accordance with aforementioned laws, and the relevant certificate has been acknowledged by the Human Organ Transplant Board according to the established mechanism. The HA has also confirmed that the organ transplant complied with international standards and the requirements of the Human Organ Transplant Ordinance. After confirming that all procedures were in compliance with relevant laws and regulations, the medical team of Hong Kong Children's Hospital then immediately arranged and completed the operation last night, successfully saving Tsz-hei's life.
The spokesman sincerely thanked the country for its care and support for the lives and health of Hong Kong citizens. This co-operation perfectly exemplified that both the Mainland and Hong Kong share the principle and mission in protecting lives, which is of great significance. In order to save Tsz-hei, the NHC, HKMAO, GAC, and relevant Mainland authorities have done a host of work. Their hard work with the assistance of Mainland hospitals and medical teams have helped save Tsz-hei on the verge of critical condition in a very short period of time. The HKSAR Government once again thanked the various Mainland authorities for their concern for Hong Kong citizens.
The spokesman wished Tsz-hei a speedy recovery and expressed sincere gratitude to the HA team for their professionalism and hard work, as well as the seamless co-operation of various government departments, in enabling Tsz-hei to gain a new life.
Ends/Saturday, December 17, 2022
Issued at HKT 23:12
Issued at HKT 23:12
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