ORGAN transplantation in Malaysia will be redesigned as a national agenda, in line with the Health Ministry’s move to restructure the National Transplant Centre (NTC) as a central body to drive policy, administration and coordination across the country.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said transplant activity in Malaysia remains low relative to national needs, despite the country possessing strong clinical expertise, a robust public-private healthcare infrastructure and increasing cases of end-stage organ failure driven by non-communicable diseases and systemic gaps in prevention and early care.
“In the past two years, we have rebuilt the engine of the National Organ Transplant Service, with the key foundation being the empowerment of the NTC’s structure, which previously operated under Kuala Lumpur Hospital,” he said.
“We are upgrading the National Transplant Resource Centre, now renamed the NTC, to operate directly under the Medical Development Division at the Health Ministry headquarters.
“This shift from a hospital-based unit to a national coordination centre gives it the mandate to drive policy nationwide,” he added in a post on X on Monday night.
Dzulkefly acknowledged that the ministry is prepared to face major challenges, including the lengthy training period required to produce transplant specialists.
He said immediate measures are being taken to optimise existing resources through strategic collaboration with the private sector and university hospitals.
Among the key initiatives outlined is the groundwork for establishing a National Organ Transplant Council, which will serve as the central authority for managing data and resources related to transplantation.
The minister said the ministry is also forging public-private partnerships involving specialists from private and university hospitals to form a national procurement team.
On policy and regulatory reforms, Dzulkefly said the review of the National Policy on Organ, Tissue and Cell Transplantation 2007 is in its final stages to align it with global standards.
A review of the Human Tissues Act 1974 is also under way to better protect living donors and streamline processes.
However, he stressed that structural reforms alone would be insufficient without a shift in public acceptance of organ donation.
“More than 400,000 Malaysians have registered as organ donors, yet over 10,000 patients remain on the transplant waiting list. Much more needs to be done,” he said.
To improve accessibility, Dzulkefly noted that the donor pledge process has been simplified through the MySejahtera application, which has recorded more than 16,000 new registrations as of July 2025. - December 30, 2025
