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Health
Aids Counselling and Education
The department's Red Ribbon Centre collaborates with community partners to enhance public awareness and prevention of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and to promote caring and acceptance of HIV patients. In 2016, the centre organised 25 major activities and 42 special programmes, involving some 81,700 participants.
Information on Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (Aids), sexually transmitted infections and multilingual Aids hotlines is available at the department's website.
Appointments for counselling and HIV antibody/rapid tests may be made on the hotline 2780 2211. In 2016, the hotline received about 21,700 calls and nurse counsellors received 18,420 calls for Aids counselling service. About 1,006,100 condoms were distributed to promote safer sex. There are also a Gay Men HIV Testing Hotline (2117 1069) and a website. In 2016, the Gay Men HIV Testing Hotline received 190 calls for counselling and HIV antibody/rapid testing.
Organ Donation and Transplant
The department promotes organ donation via a dedicated page on Facebook and in collaboration with the Hospital Authority, healthcare professional bodies and NGOs. In April, the government established the Committee on Promotion of Organ Donation to coordinate the promotion work by different parties. The Organ Donation Promotion Charter was introduced in June to invite organisations, including companies and schools, to promote organ donation through their own channels. By end-2016, more than 200 organisations had signed the charter.
As at the end of 2016, more than 241,000 people had registered with the Centralised Organ Donation Register to express their wish to donate their organs after death.
The number of patients waiting for kidney, liver, heart and double-lung transplants stood at 2,047, 89, 50 and 19 respectively. During the year, there were 37 liver, 60 renal, 12 heart, eight double-lung and 276 cornea donations from the deceased in public hospitals. There was one single-lung donation.
The Human Organ Transplant Ordinance regulates the transplant of human organs and import of human organs for transplant purposes, and prohibits commercial dealings in human organs. intended for transplant. Approval from the statutory Human Organ Transplant Board is required for the transplant of human organs between living persons who are not genetically related or a couple whose marriage has subsisted for not more than three years. In 2016, the board received 25 applications for organ transplants between living non-related persons and Hong Kong imported 54 human organs for transplant purposes.
Under the ordinance, applications can be made to the department to exempt certain commercial products made from processed human tissue, enabling patients with genuine medical needs to benefit from the use of these products. As at the end of 2016, the department had received 42 applications for exemption and approved 34 products since the ordinance took effect in 2011.
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