Number of elderly organ donors on the rise in Hong Kong after lifting of age limit
Oldest patient was 81 this year, triple the trend in past years
More elderly organ donors have contributed to saving the lives of others, with Hong Kong recording an increase in the number of such people aged 70 or above this year following the removal of an age limit in public hospitals.
As of end November, among 38 people who have donated their organs after their deaths, seven of them were aged 70 or above, with the oldest being 81.
Pong Mei-lan, organ donation coordinator at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Yau Ma Tei, said this was an increase from about two persons annually in the age group from past trends.
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“Many elderly people may think they won’t be able to contribute their organs as their health declines. But in fact they are still suitable even if they are suffering from diabetes or hypertension,” Pong said.
In April this year, the maximum age limit for donors of some organs under a set of guidelines used in public hospitals – where most organ transplants are conducted – was removed.
According to Pong, the cap on age for lung and kidney donors was lifted, while there has not been a limit for liver donation. An age limit of 70 still applies to heart donors.
“Such changes were made to align with international practices and ageing trends,” Pong said, adding that people in their 60s and 70s nowadays could still be very healthy.
Among the seven elderly donors this year, most donated three to five organs per person after their deaths, to save the lives of others.
