CDAC ready to step up worker - NUH

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Man, 54, is first in S’pore to donate his liver to stranger ILIYAS JUANDA

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Singapore’s first altruistic non-directed liver donor, Mr Lim Kok Seng, holding a card and a bottle of paper cranes from the recipient of his liver, Lim Si Jia. Sixty per cent of Mr Lim’s liver was transplanted into Si Jia by a team from NUH. PHOTO: KOH MUI FOONG

SINGAPORE — A 16-year-old girl received a gift from someone she has never met: A liver transplant from Mr Lim Kok Seng, 54, who became the first donor in Singapore willing to give up part of his organ to a total stranger. And the first thing Mr Lim wanted to know when they finally met about three weeks ago was whether she was healthy. “At least then the pain from the surgery was worth it,” the security concierge said. Sixty per cent of Mr Lim’s liver was transplanted into Lim Si Jia, and the 10-hour surgery was performed by a team from the National University Hospital (NUH) on March 24. Usually, a living donor would know the recipient of his or her organs. For Mr Lim’s case, his non-directed liver donation meant that he did not specify the recipient and it could be donated to CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

20% JUMP IN NUMBER OF PEOPLE SEEKING FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE

CDAC ready to step up worker training, aid as more seek help Chinese community self-help group says it stands ready to assist vulnerable families KENNETH CHENG

[email protected] SINGAPORE — More people turned to the Chinese Development Assistance Council (CDAC) to seek financial and other forms of assistance in the first few months of this year, amid turbu-

lent economic conditions and rising layoffs last year. And the self-help group for the Chinese community here said it stands ready to provide vulnerable families with an assistance package that includes financial support, if the economic slowdown worsens. Speaking to the media after the council’s 24th Annual General Meeting yesterday, Health Minister Gan Kim Yong, who chairs the CDAC’s board of directors, said its core programmes reached out to about 20,000

low-income households last year, a 13.5 per cent increase from 2014. The council provided 12,000 lowincome families with financial and other forms of assistance, including its parenting programme last year. This is a 20 per cent increase over the figure in 2014, said Mr Sam Tan, who helms the CDAC’s family workfare and support committee. In addition, the CDAC has seen an increase of 20 per cent in the number of people seeking financial assistance CONTINUED ON PAGE 8

TODAY • TUESDAY 21 JUNE 2016

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hot news

FORMER PM VOWS TO KEEP PRESSURE ON HIS SUCCESSOR

BN wins won’t stop Mahathir’s bid to oust Najib Former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said yesterday the thumping victories of ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition at two by-elections over the weekend only strengthened his resolve to unseat Prime Minister Najib Razak, even as a minister from the United Malays National Organisation (Umno) told the former leader to “retire quietly” and spare himself further public ridicule instead of continuing with his anti-Najib campaign. While his allies in the opposition continue to smart over their humiliating defeat, Dr Mahathir vowed to stay the course, saying in his first comments after the by-elections that BN’s outstanding performance has further motivated him to remove Mr Najib. “They’ve asked for my stand now that they have won. My position hasn’t changed. It may have even grown stronger,” Dr Mahathir blogged yesterday, adding that he would never change his mind to support power abuse and wrongful use of the law. KUALA LUMPUR —

BN retained Sungai Besar in Selangor and Kuala Kangsar in Perak with majorities of 9,191 and 6,969 votes, respectively, in a boost to embattled Mr Najib and dealing a blow to the opposition Pakatan Harapan coalition. Mr Najib has been under intense political pressure over RM2.6 billion (S$861 million) deposited into his private accounts, as well as irregularities in state investment firm 1Malaysia Development Berhad. However, Mr Najib maintained he has not used the funds for personal gain, and has since been cleared of any criminal offence or corruption. Failing to unseat Mr Najib, Dr Mahathir quit Umno in late February and later announced an alliance with opposition leaders, whose leaders the latter had battled for decades during his time as prime minister. The former prime minister has also campaigned for the opposition at the two by-elections for the first time in his political career as part of his wider bid to remove Mr Najib. Moments after the results of the

by-elections were announced, Mr Najib took a swipe at his former mentor turned critic, saying that Dr Mahathir’s “betrayal was motivated by personal interest, not the national interest.” The opposition however, tried to play down their defeat, with Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) deputy president Mohamed Azmin Ali saying yesterday that they had been “defeated and bounced back, but what is important is to reflect upon ourselves”. Dr Mahathir suggested yesterday that some voters at Sungai Besar and Kuala Kangsar were swayed by election goodies and handouts, and gave up their dignity to support BN. “Those asking me for my stand should ask themselves what happened to their dignity, that they can be so proud of a victory that came from cheating, open corruption and (a) clear abuse of power. To me, the effort to cleanse the Malaysian government will continue in whatever way possible,” he said. Meanwhile, Mr Abdul Rahman

Man, 54, is first in S’pore to donate his liver to stranger CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

the neediest and most compatible patient on the national waiting list. Si Jia was diagnosed with glycogen storage disease at the age of eight. Her body lacked the enzymes needed to break down the body’s store of sugar, and this could lead to an accumulation of sugar in the liver, potentially resulting in cancerous tumours. Since her body could not metabolise sugar properly, her growth was also affected. Unlike other children who snack on sweets and candies, Si Jia could not enjoy them due to her condition. She also had to drink a mixture of cornstarch and water every night without fail to ensure that her body has enough sugar while she sleeps. In 2012, she was placed on the waiting list, and it was this February that she was told of Mr Lim’s compatibility. “I am really grateful and did not expect that the liver would come from a living donor,” Si Jia said, adding that she was “amazed” at Mr Lim’s courage in donating to a stranger. She and her family wanted to meet Mr Lim and the hospital arranged it. Madam Katherine Chong, 52, said that after the surgery, the first thing her daughter wanted was sweets. Right now, Si Jia takes a total of nine types of medication, which includes

drugs to ensure that her body does not reject the liver. Although her condition is healthy, the girl had to defer a year of school for the surgery and recuperation. As early as 30 years ago, Mr Lim already committed to donate his organs in case of his accidental death. He was motivated after reading articles about victims of accidental deaths, who had signed up as organ donors. He registered himself at a Ministry of Health roadshow at a shopping mall “way before (the Human Organ Transplant Act) came along”, Mr Lim recalled. In January last year, he decided to sign up as a non-directed donor, because he thought that age was catching up with him. No figures were available on how many such donors there are in Singapore. On his switch to be a living donor, Mr Lim said: “Even if the creator God blesses me with long life ... when you are above 60, complications do come in, in all forms, and if my liver is going to be damaged by medication — even if I had made a pledge — it may not be good anymore to help. That would be sad,” Mr Lim said. The death of a close friend, whose organs could not be used for donation

Dahlan, the Housing, Local Government and Urban Wellbeing Minister, said yesterday Dr Mahathir’s campaign to oust Mr Najib “failed miserably”, saying that the opposition politicians Dr Mahathir had teamed up with are now divided, “incoherent and completely unfit for government”. “He is a master of manipulation and twisting logic, but it is hard to see how even he could spin these results. They are clearly a terminal defeat for him,” he said. Mr Abdul Rahman said Malaysians rejected Dr Mahathir’s brand of politics by voting for BN at the two polls. “Mahathir must accept the democratic will of the people, even if it doesn’t align with his personal interests. It would serve him better to retire quietly now, rather than subject himself to further humiliation,” he said. He added that Dr Mahathir was rebuffed not only by BN loyalists who had once given him their absolute trust, but also by opposition supporters. AGENCIES A MORE COMPASSIONATE RED DOT

We have been a red dot of excellence in many fields for the last 50 years. With this simple act of mine, I was hoping this little red dot may become more compassionate for those in need. Mr Lim Kok Seng

FIRST MAN IN SINGAPORE TO DONATE HIS LIVER TO A COMPLETE STRANGER, REFERRING TO SINGAPORE’S NICKNAME AS THE LITTLE RED DOT

‘IT DOESN’T MATTER TO WHO’

People have stepped forward and donated to people who are not relatives, even Facebook friends. This is the first time, in our experience, where somebody steps up and says, ‘I want to donate (my liver), it doesn’t matter to who’. Mr Lim Kok Seng, 54, after his surgery. Mr Lim said he was worried his liver might no longer be in a condition to be donated once he is past 60 years old. PHOTO: LIM KOK SENG

due to their poor condition two years ago, also encouraged him further to be a living donor. Mr Lim is healthy and his liver is expected to regenerate fully within three months after the surgery. Professor Quak Seng Hock, from the division of paediatric gastroen-

Prof Krishnakumar Madhavan

CO-DIRECTOR, NATIONAL UNIVERSITY CENTRE FOR ORGAN TRANSPLANTATION

terology, hepatology and nutrition at NUH, who was taking care of Si Jia’s case, said that the girl can now enjoy a better quality of life. “(She can) take part in more physical activities, which she had always wanted to but did not have the opportunity to do so,” he said.