XN000022-1981-11-30 — Page 8

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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 1981

YOUNG PEOPLE RESPOND TO CALL FOR KIDNEY DONATIONS

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MORE THAN 11 000 PEOPLE HAVE RESPONDED TO THE KIDNEY DONATION CAMPAIGN ORGANISED BY PADIO TELEVISION HONG KONG AND HAVE REGISTERED AS KIDNEY DONOPS, THE HEAD OF RTHK'S CHINESE PROGRAMME SECTION,

CHU PUI-HING. SAID TODAY (MONDAY).

SPEAKING AT A PRESS CONFERENCE, MR CHU SAID THE BEST RESPONSE CAME FROM YOUNG PEOPLE BEWEEN THE AGES OF 16 AND 30 WHO MADE UP 80 PER CENT OF THE TOTAL.

STATISTICS ALSO SHOWED THAT 20 PER CENT OF THE PEOPLE RESPONDING WERE UNDER THE AGE OF 20, AND 57 PER CENT WERE WOMEN,

MR CHU SAID MANY OF THE PEOPLE HAVE AGREED TO DONATE OTHER ORGANS AS WELL.

FORTY-ONE PER CENT ARE PREPARED TO GIVE AWAY THE IR KIDNEYS, CORNEAS AND OTHER ORGANS WHILE 29 PER CENT AGREED TO DONATE THE IR KIDNEYS AND CORNEAS.

THE 10-WEEK CAMPAIGN WAS LAUNCHED IN MID-JUNE FOLLOWING THE DONATION OF TWO KIDNEYS BY A NURSE, MISS FUNG WAI-MING, UPON HER DEATH. IT WAS SUPPORTED BY A DONATION OF $10 000 FROM SIR SHIU-KIN TANG.

DURING THE CAMPAIGN PERIOD, RADIO PROGRAMMES, EXHIBITIONS, POSTER COMPETITIONS, REACH OUT ACTIVITIES AND TV SPECIALS WERE EMPLOYED TO CARRY THE MESSAGE TO THE PUBLIC.

MR CHU SAID THE CAMPAIGN WAS STARTED TO RECRUIT MORE KIDNEY DONORS, TO EDUCATE THE PUBLIC TO GAIN A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF KIDNEY DISEASES, AND MOST IMPORTANT, TO HELP BREAK THROUGH THE TRADITIONAL CONCEPT OF KEEPING THE WHOLE BODY INTACT AFTER DEATH.

PUBLICITY WAS ALSO INTENDED TO SHOW THAT HONG KONG HAS THE ABILITY TO PERFORM KIDNEY TRANSPLANTS BUT THERE WAS A LACK OF DONORS, HE SAID.

ALSO PRESENT AT TODAY'S PRESS CONFERENCE WERE THE CHAIRMAN OF THE HONG KONG EYE BANK AND RESEARCH FOUNDATION, MR NG YIN-NAM, DR KENNETH LEUNG WHO IS IN CHARGE OF DATA ANALYSIS AND A REPRESENTATIVE OF THE HONG KONG SOCIETY OF NEPHROLOGY.

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