ENG-2020 — Page 189

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Health

Organ Donation and Transplant

The department, working with the Hospital Authority, healthcare professional bodies and NGOs, promotes organ donation on different fronts. The promotion work is coordinated by the Committee on Promotion of Organ Donation. By end-2020, the Centralised Organ Donation Register had registered more than 330,000 prospective donors. The number of patients waiting for kidney, liver, heart and lung transplants stood at 2,302, 72, 78 and 29 respectively. During the year, there were 55 kidney, 27 liver, 10 heart, eight double-lung and 267 cornea donations from the deceased in public hospitals.

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 2020, the board received 13 applications for organ transplants between living non-related persons and Hong Kong imported 39 human organs for transplant purposes. Under a pilot Paired Kidney Donation Programme, the Hospital Authority performs organ matching regularly on renal patients and their relatives who have joined the programme.

Smoking and Health

China is a state party to the World Health Organisation (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, and its provisions are therefore applicable to Hong Kong. The city's tobacco control policy aims to discourage smoking, contain the proliferation of tobacco use and minimise the impact from passive smoking through a progressive and multi-pronged approach comprising legislation, publicity, education, enforcement, smoking cessation and taxation.

The Smoking (Public Health) Ordinance stipulates statutory no-smoking areas, regulates the packaging and labelling of tobacco products, and prohibits the advertising and promotion of such products. Smoking is banned in all indoor areas of workplaces and public places, as well as some outdoor areas, such as the open areas of schools and healthcare facilities, parks, bathing beaches and public transport facilities. Offenders are liable to a fine of $1,500 under the Fixed Penalty (Smoking Offences) Ordinance.

The department's Tobacco and Alcohol Control Office enforces the two ordinances' provisions. In 2020 (up to September), it conducted over 25,460 inspections and issued 45 summonses and 4,992 fixed penalty notices for smoking offences.

The emergence of alternative smoking products, including e-cigarettes, heated tobacco products and herbal cigarettes, poses new health risks and challenges. The Smoking (Public) Health) (Amendment) Bill 2019 proposes to ban the import, manufacture, sale, distribution and advertising of alternative smoking products.

The office promotes compliance with the law and smoking prevention and cessation through publicity and school or community-based programmes. It provides a 'Quitline' telephone hotline, and works with NGOs to operate smoking cessation clinics as well as cessation programmes targeting workplaces, ethnic minorities and new immigrants.

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